


You're Beautiful

by Juniper11



Category: Justice League - All Media Types, Naruto
Genre: Actual Murder, Aftermath of Torture, And Can't Focus, Attempted Murder, Bad Matchmaking, Because apparently I can take a story that should be 10k and make it 100k, Character Death, Crossover Pairings, Define Ending, Define Happy, Dictator!Kal-El, Divorce, Evil Alien, Explicit Language, F/M, Fortress of Solitude, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Don't Even Know, I'm Just Writing Stuff, I'm Sorry, Identity Porn, Intervention, Interviews, Kryptonite of Unknown Color, Lectures, Lols, Long live the Queen, Matchmaking, Mob Boss!Kal-El, Morally Ambiguous Character, No Tentacle Sex, Not Really Character Death, Or I will write another Crossover, Or not, POV Alternating, Really Kal?, Robots, Romance, Run Superman!, Sanity Issues, Seduction, She's going to eat him for breakfast, Someone stop me, The ideaz wontz stopz, This Is My, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, What Were You Thinking?, Who Loves His Wife, Why Did I Write This?, You Poor Unfortunate Souls, and then save some for lunch, because you're secretly a masochist, cause I'm bored, life - Freeform, mentions of Lois Lane - Freeform, save yourself!, the king is dead, will this have a happy ending?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2018-09-06 19:25:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 40,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8765905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juniper11/pseuds/Juniper11
Summary: Sakura's deceased husband plays matchmaker.  Sakura is not amused.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *Edit in Progress. Please Excuse the Blatant Changes in Tense*

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The nights are lonely, the days are so sad  
> I just keep thinking about the love that we had  
> And I'm missing you  
> And nobody knows it but me.  
> \--The Tony Rich Project

 

 

“How can I help you, Mr. Kent?” 

 

She speaks softly and sits before him with her legs crossed at the ankles and her spine straight.  She doesn’t lean back against the sofa to relax, and yet she doesn’t seem even slightly uncomfortable.  Her hands are on her lap folded neatly, and one of her fingers is tapping lightly to the beat of a song she has playing on repeat softly in the background.

 

 

There is no denying that she does carry herself as if she were the wife of the man who once ruled the world.  She regards him with cool green eyes, and yet if you look closer, you can tell that grief mars her features.

 

Clark does not immediately answer as her presence unsettles him.  Clark clears his throat slightly and says, “I was hoping you’d consent to an interview.”

 

“The Daily Planet, correct?”

 

“Yes, ma’am.  That’s correct.” 

 

She frowns slightly, and Clark has an inkling that it is because he called her ma’am.   The silence stretches for a while, and Clark takes the opportunity to survey the area.  Her home is modest.  There are very few extravagances within it.  For a woman who once had everything, it seems a harsh extreme for her.

 

“I’ve already informed people at the Planet that I have no desire to be interviewed.  Your paper has seen enough of my face and my name on it. Now if that is all-“

 

Clark shifts uneasily.  Perry wants him to get this interview badly.  He set the task to Lois, but the petite woman before Clark had in no uncertain terms turned down the interview.  She wants to be left alone and while Clark can understand that morbid curiosity also plays a role in why he is in her home.

 

“Even if it would give you the opportunity to tell the story from your point of view?”

 

“And how could I expect your paper to show any partiality after _Superman Divorces Wife: Alleged Accomplice in the Murder of Thousands?”_

Clark winces.  Lois had been a little vicious in her choice of titles for that article. 

 

“There’s nothing I can say to make you trust me.  All I can say is that I believe in honest journalism.  I never go after anyone with the intention of causing pain.”

 

Her lips quirk oddly at his words, and Clark can’t help but wonder what he said that she finds amusing.

 

“Alright, Mr. Kent.  What do you want to know?”

 

Clark fumbles with his phone for a second.  “Do you mind if I record this?”

 

“Do what you must.”

 

Clark nods, sets up his phone, and asks his first question, “How did you meet the Dictator Kal-El?”

 

She frowns again, and Clark wonders if she ever smiles.   “Please, I have to ask that you not refer to my husband in that manner.  If you must speak of him, then please be respectful and call him Kal or Kal-El.”

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

_They are going to sacrifice her to a monster to save their lives or to do what they can not.  Kill her.  While Sakura can understand it, she doesn't hate them any less.  She has been in their custody for at least a year.  She's not confident since her days and nights roll together.  Sakura can no longer remember how she arrived in a world where the ninja way is dead and torture because of fear of the unknown is the norm.  They want to understand how her chakra works.  Not that they know that it is chakra that enables her to heal herself.    They merely recognize that whatever her ability is, it allows her to escape time and again.  Somehow, though, they track her down and find her once more._

_After her capture and subsequent torture, she hasn't said a word.  She is a ninja well-versed in the art of torture.  She can withstand anything they throw at her.  She merely bides her time and waits for the opportunity to escape.  That opportunity never comes._

_When they prepare her for him, it is with the hope that he will be displeased with her and do their dirty work for them.  Still, they force her to heal herself and scrub her body free of the dry blood stains that make her unrecognizable._

_They dress her in white and call her beautiful.  She wonders if the opinion was the same as when her skin remained bloodstained._

_It is an off the shoulder dress as well as sheer, and they allow her to wear nothing beneath it.  The dress is chiffon and loose.  It flutters around her body and stops at her knees.  They give her no shoes, lest she decides to make a run for it.  Her hair, which falls midway down her back, is unbound making her feel like a woodland nymph._

_Once they prepare her sufficiently, they take her to see the ruler of the world she currently inhabits.  Sakura knows, but those who guard her do not, her escorts are not expected to come back alive._

_  
_

_The expectation is that the Dictator will be displeased with their gift and will, in turn, kill Sakura and the messengers.  Sakura does not feel the least bit sorry for either--especially when one of them shoves her to get her to move faster.  Sakura does not oblige.  While Sakura wants to become better acquainted with her old friend Death, she certainly isn’t about to go looking for him to appease her captors._

_After a seeming eternity, she stands before the one they call The Dictator, Superevil, and all manner of names and is shocked speechless._

_The man is beautiful beyond words.  He is also built like a man should be.  He looks strong and powerful.  He wears all black, and the letter S is on his chest.  He folds his arms and stares directly into her eyes.   Sakura will not allow herself to be intimidated by his size and stature.  If she is going to die, she will die on her feet as she is always meant._

_The oddest thing happens then.  The Dictator’s lips slightly quirk upward before all traces of amusement disappear._

_He turns away from her and addresses her captors._

_“You have done well.  Your lives are spared for a while.  Leave and deliver that message to your section of the government.”_

_Sakura can tell that they are in shock.  She isn’t sure if it is because they realize how much danger they had been in or if they are surprised he views her as an acceptable prize.  If it is the latter Sakura isn’t sure she understands either._

_The women don’t have to be told twice to leave.  Sakura doesn’t watch them scurry away. Instead, she keeps her eyes on her new captor waiting to see how much further into hell her life is going to sink._

_The answer becomes ‘a lot further’ when he proves his lack of sanity by extending his hand to her and saying, “Marry me.”_

_ _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My heart is telling me  
> That you could be  
> My meant to be  
> \--Nsync

 

 

 

“You look shocked Mr. Kent.  Is it because your government captured and tortured me for a year or because Kal asked me to marry him moments after meeting me without knowing a single thing about me?”

 

It is a bit of both.  Truthfully, the government actions aren't surprising to Clark, especially if it is Cadmus.  Clark gives her a wry grin. 

 

“A bit of both I guess.  No one wants to believe that the country they live in is capable of such things.”  She nods accepting his answer.  “So then you just agreed to marry a man you didn't even know?”

 

Her eyes drift off as if she is lost in memory.  It looks to be a pleasant one, and it frustrates Clark to no end that he knows nothing of her life with Kal-El.  “Not exactly.”

* * *

 

 

 

_Sakura stares at the man for a moment debating whether or not he is serious.  When his facial expression doesn't change even slightly, she laughs.  She laughs so hard that she misses the anger on his face and the red glow in his eyes._

* * *

 

“He told me later that he almost killed me then.  He thought I was laughing at the thought of me marrying someone like him.”

 

“But you weren't?”

 

“Of course not.  Although, later I could see why Kal thought that way.  Have you ever seen a dingo?”

 

Clark blinks at the sudden turn of conversation.  He stares at her puzzled, but she merely waits for his answer. “I have.”

 

“Dingo pups are adorable, but dingoes are deadly.  Kal was the same.  He was beautiful, but he was deadly as well.  It would be a well-known fact that any woman that chose to stay at his side would have a significant probability of being destroyed by that beauty.”

 

“And yet you risked it.  Why?”

 

“I didn’t know any better.  Besides, I like to think that I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

 

“You thought you could save yourself from a man who had the world on its knees?”

 

She raises her hand and runs it through her hair.  She intends to smooth her hair out, but because she has so much of it on her head it only tangles further.  She doesn't fix it.  Clark wants to.  It is bothering him.

“I’m good at staying alive Mr. Kent.  It’s what I do.”

* * *

 

 

 

_“Why in the world,” Sakura says between giggles, “would I marry a man I don't know?”_

_When Sakura is finally able to focus, his lips once again quirk slightly._

_“My proposal amuses you?”_

_“I don't even know your name!”_

_“Then let me introduce myself.  My name is Kal-El.”_

_Sakura smiles for some unknown reason slightly charmed.  “I’m Sakura Haruno.  And if I may be frank, I’d like to know why you thought I’d agree to marry you.”_

_He slightly inclines his head letting Sakura know that he agrees with this line of conversation.  Sakura thinks even the slight gesture makes him look otherworldly.  It makes absolutely no sense, but she feels a pull toward the man.  She knows her mind should be on the escape she now has the chance to make instead of the blue of his eyes and how compelling they are._

_“You do know that I rule this world.”  Sakura pauses wondering if he rules this world, is he the one behind her previous interrogation.  Something tells her he isn’t, but she isn’t exactly sure of that.  Or maybe her reawakening libido is clouding her mind._

_“I’ve been informed of that, yes.”_

_“There are not many things that I am unable to attain if I wish it.”_

_Sakura lips curl slightly in distaste.  “That sounds terribly arrogant.”_

_“Not arrogance Sakura Haruno, but the truth.”_

_Sakura takes in his words and admits that given what little she knew of him that he could be right.  She murmurs, “They call you a dictator.”_

_He doesn’t deny it.  She expects him to give some spiel about how he only wants the best for the world.  He can toss in how he is making it a safer place for people.  However, he provides none of that.  It makes Sakura believe that he is content in his role as dictator.  He doesn’t believe it to be something derogatory._

_“And do you know how that benefits you?” Sakura looks at Kal-El in puzzlement, so he clarifies.  “It means that I will never let anyone hurt you again.  It means that if you wish it, I will destroy those who already have.”_

_“You know what they did to me.”  Sakura’s voice is cold and hard as ice.  She is ready to attack and destroy the man for the pain he has caused--_

_“Specific details?  No.  As long as the people of this world obey my commands, I have no desire to look any further into their actions.    But I see what they did when I look in your eyes.   There’s something feral there, which is not something you observe in a person who has lived an ordinary life.   Nor is it something you have hidden.  For some reason, it calls to me.  So I offer you marriage.  At my side, there is no need to fear anything.”_

_“Does that include you?  Do I not have to fear you?”_

_“I am no liar.  I will not say that I will never hurt you.  However, I will say that the pain you endure at my side will never be physical.”_

* * *

“After that, he uttered a phrase in Kryptonian and refused to tell me what it meant.”

 

Clark perks up.  “Do you remember what he said?”  Clark sees something shift in her eyes, but she utters the phrase in flawless Kryptonian regardless. 

 

“Kal gave me several incorrect translations like ‘you’ll be my slave for life,' ‘you’re a sucker if you believe that,' and my personal favorite was ‘dogs roll in manure so that man won’t have to.'”

 

Clark snorts before he can control himself.  “That makes no sense.”

 

She bows her head slightly chuckling.  “I know, but that was Kal.  He often made very little sense.”

 

“Do you…know now what the phrase meant?”

 

She looks at him sadly.  Her moods shift like the waves of the sea.  Clark feels slightly guilty for pressing for this interview, but in a way, it seems like she needs to talk.   “Yes.  It meant ‘you will be my beloved and I will cherish you forever.’”

 

Clark uncomfortably notes that she is correct.  Although he does wonder why the Dictator Kal-El supposedly took one look at the woman, and kept her at his side for five years. 

 

Odd images begin to flash in Clark’s mind that he tries to shake away.  They make his headache which is unusual for a man who isn't accustomed to aches and pains.  If he didn’t know any better, he would say that the woman had painted a perfect image of the scene of their first meeting in his brain.  He can see her standing in front of him her feet bare and her hair flowing free.  Defiance and rage sit on her shoulders as she stands before him waiting to see what he would do next…

* * *

 

_He stalks closer to her.  He knows she can’t hear his footsteps and yet later she will tell them they reverberated in her brain.   He waits to see if she will back away from him, but she doesn’t.  Her face grows solemn opposed to her earlier amusement.  Instead, she stares at him, apparently trying to figure out what he is doing and what he wants.   He can hear her heart hammering wildly in her chest._

_Is she afraid?  Yes, she is.  Will she run?  He can see her eyes dart side to side searching for a way out, but she doesn’t make a move.  She stands her ground, and a surge of desire runs through him because of her actions.   When he gets close enough, he slides an arm around her waist and pulls her close.  She raises her hands and places them on his chest as if trying to keep some distance between them._

_He almost chuckles at the ridiculous endeavor._

_“Close your eyes.”  He expects a fight, but her eyes flutter closed, and for some reason, he wants to pull her closer, but it isn't physically possible.  Her body trembles in his arms and he leans his head down and smells her hair._

_It is his turn to close his eyes as her scent washes over him._

_“Take a deep breath.”  He feels the rise and fall of her chest. Her breasts brush against his chest, and his pupils dilate in desire, but he maintains control.  He wonders at this trust she is giving him.  From where does it come?  Does she not know who he is?  Does she not realize what he could do to her?  Or has she already experienced so much worse that she doesn’t care whether or not she dies?_

_Kal-El's jaw clenches.  He decides he will not punish her for her trust.  He will reward it._

_“Now hold on.”  Seconds after her arms wrap around him he shoots up in the air the sonic boom of his flight sounding behind them.  She lets out an initial scream before he slows slightly and she can look around.  Her dazzling green eyes take in the blue skies and the damp clouds that surround them.    Amazement fills her eyes, and she looks at him as if he is some kind of wonderful._

_She throws her head back and laughs in delight.  The melody of her voice moves something within him.   He wraps his dark cape around her body because where they are going, she will need it.  She continues to cling to him but pleasure dances on her lips.  Their eyes meet and what he sees in her visage is something he'd be willing to kill millions to keep on her face.  It hadn’t been there when they first brought her to him.  But he swears it will remain there until he takes his very last breath--and beyond._

_Happiness._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're entitled to your opinion  
> But it's really my decision  
> I can't go back I'm on a mission  
> If you care, don't you dare  
> Blur my vision  
> \--Joss Stone

Clark is stunned at what he is coming to believe.  Kal-El, his evil counterpart, had loved this woman.  He had loved her at first sight.  Clark doesn’t even believe in love at first sight.  So how had this happened?

“I’m sorry, but are you out of questions?” 

Her head tilts to the side, as she studies him.  Clark blinks as his mind comes back into focus because for a moment he feels like he is the one being interviewed.  Her eyes say that he has no secrets from her.  It is alarming because there are things about himself that he doesn’t want her to know.

“Yes, I mean no.  I do have more questions.  I was just processing.”  Clark clears his throat.  “So you speak Kryptonian?”

“Kal insisted and eventually it was useful to us both.”

“In what way?”

“For me?  I often had to limit what I said so as not to appear disrespectful of Kal in front of others.  But with the two of us only knowing Kryptonian and his hearing being what it was, with a few whispered words he knew what was on my mind.”

“And for him?”

“Kal ruled the world, Mr. Kent.  Knowledge is power.”  Clark starts to question her on that line of thought but is distracted again by her finger slowly tapping in a steady rhythm.  The song continues to play on, and he has to ask, “Favorite song?”

She shrugs.  “Favorite?  Not really.  I like background noise.  When Kal was alive, there was always something going on.  Being alone is…difficult.”  Clark continues to feel guilty, and he doesn’t understand why.  He shouldn’t.  What happened to her isn’t his fault. 

“When he was…Superman is still alive.”

“Yes, he is.  But my husband was not Superman.  I think you and I both know that.”

Clark knows so he moves on. 

“How long was it before you officially agreed to marry Kal-El?”

“Three months.”

“That’s a short amount of time.”

“I thought so too, but I gave in because I knew he was different.”  Clark nearly scowls.  Homicidal maniacs _are_ different from the general populace.  Her eyes narrow on his face, and he knows she senses his distaste, and he works to cover it.

“Your wedding, it wasn’t a big one.  There’s not a picture anywhere of it.”

Sakura laughs.  “No.  There wouldn’t be.    I didn’t want a huge wedding.  It was my first fight with Kal.  He wanted to proclaim to the world that I was his.  And I felt that our marriage was no one’s business but our own.”

“And how was it resolved?”

“Kal and I made the first of many compromises.  A small wedding, but when he decided to present me to the world it was a big thing.”

* * *

 

_Kal hands Sakura a small jewelry box.  She looks at him with delight and surprise that he presents her with a gift.  It is the first one he has given her.  He hasn’t even given her an engagement ring.  She has never thought to ask for one.  Trinkets are something that she has no use for. He has already given her the one thing she values more than anything._

_Freedom._

_When she opens it, though, she frowns.  Inside the box is a choker and from it dangles the symbol of his house._

_“What is this?”  Sakura murmurs._

_“It’s the symbol of my house.  You know that.  You’ll wear it when I present you to the world as my wife.”  Sakura scoffs.  Her eyes flash angrily, and she spits out,  “You want to introduce me to the world as your collared dog.”_

_Kal narrows his eyes.  “You’re about to make a big deal out of nothing.”_

_“I’m not wearing this Kal.”_

_“You will wear it Sakura.  You belong to the House of El now.  Be proud of it.”_

_Sakura shook her head.  “It has nothing to do with whether or not I’m proud to be your wife.  If I go out wearing this in front of everyone, there will never be any respect for me.”_

_“They’ll respect you, or they’ll die.”  Sakura stares at Kal for a moment trying to gauge whether or not he is serious.  He is.  Sakura feels hard pressed not to laugh.  Sakura runs her hands through her hair.  Just as she drops her hand to her side, he approaches her and runs his fingers through her hair.  She musses it a little, and he sought to straighten it.  Sakura remains still and quiet allowing him to finish._

_He steps back and surveys her appearance and nods to himself as if pleased by what he’d done.  Sakura wants to run her fingers through her hair again to tease him, but she doesn’t because they are fighting.  She can always mess with him later._

_“Respect isn’t won that way.”_

_“If they won’t respect you then they’ll fear you.  I’ll make sure of it.”  Sakura shakes her head.  She can’t believe that he doesn’t understand this one undeniable truth._

_“No.  They’ll fear you.  I will be nothing more than the woman that hangs from your arm.”_

_Sakura knows from his facial expression that her words hit home, but Kal isn’t one to back down._

_“You’re wearing the damned choker Sakura and that’s the end of it.”_

_“No, Kal I’m not.”_

* * *

 

“Did you really feel that strongly about the choker?”  Sakura nods. 

“You have to realize, Mr. Kent, the people that Kal dealt with only understood power.  In their eyes, Kal had all of it, and I had none.  All I was to them was a woman—and a lot of those men didn’t treat their women well.

If I wore that collar, then they would think I was something that could be used against him. They would believe they had finally found the weakness in the House of El.  The House of El is many things, but weak is not one of them.”

Clark has to work to keep the frown off his face.  It is very difficult to hear her speak of his House as if he is no part of it and never will be.  It is also hard to understand that even though his counterpart tried to collar her like a dog, her tone still held nothing but respect for him.

“How did the two of you resolve the issue?”

* * *

 

_It is the night of their wedding reception.  It takes place three weeks after their actual wedding.  Sakura wanted them to have some time to acclimate themselves to each other before bringing others into their business._

_People from all over were coming to see her presented as Sakura-El, wife of Kal-El Ruler of the world. It is the night of their event and Kal has been rather pissy and short tempered because she hasn’t rolled over and complied with his demands.  Sakura is slightly surprised that he hasn’t tried to kill her yet.  He promised that he would never harm her physically, and he had given her no reason not to believe him.  She resolves in her mind that she will not wear his collar, but she will compromise with him on the issue._

_She hasn’t told him she is willing to compromise which explains why he has killed three people within the day. Sakura can still hear their screams in her ears; they were so loud.  Sakura rubs at her ears in annoyance.  Kal has been trying to provoke a reaction out of her, but she felt no sympathy nor any connection to those who have died.  In fact, Sakura feels very little for the people of this world.  None of them helped her when she had been held prisoner, so why should she help any of them?  
_

_Let them die._

_She is well aware that there is something very broken in her thought process, but she doesn’t care to fix it.  Her only concern, her only priority is Kal-El, her husband.  The man who had saved her.  The man who is giving her the cold shoulder._

_Sakura rolls her eyes.  Sometimes he is so childish.  That she knows this, and they have only been married three weeks should have been worrisome, but Sakura finds it slightly endearing._

_In the three months preceding her wedding to the Superbad Sakura has learned a very vital piece of information.  The man will never harm her.  It is like something within him is programmed so that he isn’t allowed to.  Her recent past has made her bitter and caustic, and he never once raises a hand to her nor does he scold her.  He lets her spit out her vitriol and more than occasionally offers to destroy the ones who caused her pain._

_She never takes him up on the offer._

_She didn’t know why that is, but she suspects that because he is willing to do it, that is enough for her._

_Sakura stands in her bedroom and looks down at the box that Kal had given her.  She opens it and fingers the S inside for several moments before closing the box and getting dressed.  Kal is waiting for her._

* * *

_“Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you, Sakura-El.”_

_She didn’t know the person who announced her.  All she knows is that he is a famous person in this world. Everyone rises to their feet, and polite applause lit up the room.  They are inside a large ballroom.  Tables are scattered about and are filled with people.  The lights are dimmed, and candles littered the tables, but Sakura can see Kal across the room clearly.  He has fashioned a throne for himself that he sat in front of everyone.  He has one for her too at his side, a smaller one and Sakura found herself vaguely amused at the flashy things that pleased Kal._

_She crosses the room and keeps her eyes on Kal.  No other person in the room is important to her, so she doesn’t spare them a glance.  She knows the minute he realizes that she has disobeyed him.  She sees his eyes glow red, but she lets a smile play on her lips and the secret she has dance in her eyes.  Sakura notices the pause in his gaze and the narrowing of his eyes. He suspects she is up to something and he isn't wrong._

_With every step, she takes she hears the startled murmurs from the crowd as she passes._

_With Kal’s eyes on her, he will see that the dress she is wearing is somewhat modest.  The white dress did cling to her hips accentuating every curve, but it came up to her neck not even showing the slightest swell of cleavage._

_She wears no undergarments beneath it because the dress wouldn’t allow it.  It is_ _a backless dress that dipped down so low that if she moved the right way you could see the swell of her buttocks.  It was a dress that would haunt the dreams of many a man.  It is a dress that would lead to the death of others._

_When she approaches Kal who sits upon his throne looking disapproving, Sakura sinks to her knees before him, bows her head, and murmurs, “My Lord Kal-El.”  She extends her hand to him in supplication.  She waits that way and notes that the crowd quiets waiting to see what his reaction would be too._

_Sakura herself is anxious to see what he will do now that she had defied him._

* * *

 

“You were testing him,”  Clark states.

She shakes her head.  “I didn’t look at it that way.”

“And yet, that is exactly what it was.”

Her hands clench tightly in her lap before they relax.  She lets out a soft laugh.  “Kal wasn’t the type to have friends, Mr. Kent.  But I think he would have found you tolerable for your reasoning alone.”

Her words make him uncomfortable but then again everything about talking to her is going in that direction.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Style of your hair  
> Shape of your eyes and your nose  
> The way you stare as if you see right through to my soul  
> \--Ne-yo

Clark cleared his throat when she paused lost in the memory.  Her eyes clouded over as tears filled her their depths.  Clark’s eyes darted about before landing on a box of tissue.  He moved to grab it and sat it on the table before her.  She snagged a few out of the box and blotted at her eyes.

“You’ll have to excuse me, Mr. Kent.  I’m still very emotional.”

“You must have loved him very much.”

A sob escaped her throat.  “I’m very aware that no one understands that.  But you have to understand I know that Kal wasn’t a good man.  He was a very _bad_ one.  But he was also a very _good_ husband.  He treated me well even when I didn’t expect him to.  When I lied and deceived him, he never retaliated.  He forgave me, and he kept his promise to protect me.”

Clark waited for her to compose herself.  A part of him felt he should leave.  Clark felt sleazy intruding on her grief.  And he felt like the worst person in the world because he had agreed to it out of morbid curiosity. 

“I can go if you want me to.”  Clark offered half standing.  She half sobbed half laughed. 

“Can’t take a crying woman, Mr. Kent?”

“I don’t really know what to do with them.”  He gave her an embarrassed smile that slowed her tears and made her laugh a little.  “Kal often threatened to kill me whenever I cried.  I never knew for certain, but I think it was because it made him uncomfortable too.”  She took a few deep breaths before saying, “I apologize Mr. Kent.  I shouldn’t have lost my composure.”

Clark shook his head.  “No.  No, it’s fine.  You’re entitled to your grief.” 

She gave him a small smile before saying, “I suppose I’ll continue.” Clark nodded eagerly. 

“Did he take your hand?”

Her eyes sparkled as she said, “He did.”

* * *

_Sakura didn’t dare raise her head, nor move until she felt Kal take her hand in his.  He gripped her fingers firmly and silently bade her rise to her feet.  Sakura rose slowly and brought her eyes up to meet his.  He was angry, but she knew he wouldn’t be for long._

_He rose to his feet as well and turned her so that they faced everyone.  When he did, she knew he caught sight of her back.  She heard him gasp only because she had been waiting for it.  She didn’t turn her head to look at him, but instead, she stepped forward and spoke so that her voice carried throughout the room._

_There may or may not have been a jutsu involved that allowed it._

_“Ladies and Gentlemen, will you please stand?”_

_There was a slight hesitation before everyone rose to their feet.  Sakura felt Kal’s fingers on her back tracing her skin lightly.  His touch made her shiver, but she forced back the pleasure that the tips of his fingers induced.  Sakura raised her hand and covered her heart and rose an eyebrow expecting everyone to follow suit._

_To her surprise, they did and then she began to speak,_

_“I pledge my allegiance to Kal-El_

_And not to these other nations like America_

_And to his wife, by his side, she stands—“_

* * *

Clark’s mouth dropped open.  “That was you?  You bastardized the Pledge of Allegiance?”  It was something that people still talked about even though Kal-El had been gone for several months.  On the internet, there were several different versions of it.  Some still said it in fealty others knowing they were safe from reprisal said it mockingly. 

A lot of times Clark had a hard time ignoring the words when they were said. 

She looked unrepentant.  “I knew initially Kal was going to be angry at me, so I prepared something to soothe his initial anger.”  She hesitated for a second and Clark knew she had done something else to take away his rage.

* * *

 

_Kal gripped his wife’s hand and helped her to her feet.  The woman was entirely too defiant and needed to be brought to heel.  When their eyes clashed, he swore that he saw mischief in her eyes and he wanted to know what she was up to.  It wasn’t the time or the place for inappropriate behavior._

_He turned her around to face the crowd and shock rocked his body.  The soft, smooth skin of her back was exposed for all the world to see, but more than that the symbol of the House of El was inked into her skin in black and white.  He couldn’t help but reach out and touch it.  Her skin was cool, so he gently rubbed her back to warm her up._

_She requested that everyone stand and when she did so there was a hesitation that made his lips curl into a snarl.  Without further ado, everyone rose.  And then she spoke.  Her words made his heart race because he could hear her sincerity.  She was giving not only her body but her loyalty to him._

_Sakura let him know with a few well-spoken words that she may defy him, but she would always be loyal to him.  She would work with his best interests at heart.  She walked tall and proud, and he found her worthy to be at his side.  When she finishes pledging her allegiance to him and ensuring that everyone else in the room did as well, he couldn’t stop himself even if the world were ending.  He grabbed her small frame pulled her to his chest.  Her green eyes looked up at him in amused surprise.  He growled and then claimed her lips in a fierce and demanding kiss._

* * *

 

Clark’s heart jumped.  He reached for his phone and fumbled with it a bit before he pulled up a picture on it.  He had seen it before in his research into her life.  He looked at it for a moment.  The Dictator’s wife was dipped low in his arms.  Her arms were threaded around his neck and her fingers tangled in his hair.  They both looked blissed out in each other’s arms as they were immersed in a heated kiss. 

“Was this the night of the reception?”

 

She glanced at the picture and then took the phone out of his hand nodding.  She raised her hand and trailed her finger over the screen.  “Yes, this was the night.”  She chuckled.  “You know, it’s awkward knowing that there are pictures out there of us like this.”

“The two of you were a couple that everyone was interested in.”  Clark offered, and she murmured, “Yes,” before handing him his phone back. 

“You were very beautiful.” 

She was more than beautiful, but Clark didn’t think it was appropriate to say so.  She was stunning and breathtaking.  Something in his chest squeezed at seeing her in that picture, in Kal-El’s arms.  He had never seen a woman so gorgeous.  Lois was appealing, but he knew that if he were to stand the two women side by side…he wasn’t sure he’d even see Lois.  He needed to leave.  He had to get away right that second. 

“Thank you.”  Her words were polite but warm, and Clark surged to his feet.

“If you don’t mind could we possibly continue your interview tomorrow?”

She rose to her feet as well.  “That would be fine Mr. Kent.  How does ten o’ clock tomorrow morning sound?”

“It sounds swell.”  A small smile appeared on her face, and he began backing away to the door.  “Alright.  I’ll see you then.  Goodbye.”

He didn’t stick around long enough to hear her reply. When he was sure no one was watching, Clark took to the skies.  He flew through the air, not at all certain about where he was going until he arrived at the Batcave. 

It was early enough in the evening that Batman hadn’t gone out on patrol yet, but he was in the Batcave on his computer.  He didn’t bother to glance in Superman’s direction when he arrived greeting him with a, “What are you doing here?”

“Are you certain all that Kryptonite is out of my system?” 

Batman paused then and turned and looked at him, “Are you exhibiting any homicidal tendencies?”

“No, but-”

“What is this about then?”

Clark sighed knowing that this wasn’t going to go over well.  “I think I’m attracted to her.”

Bruce arched a brow.  “You came barging in here because you need relationship advice?”

“I’m talking about Sakura-El, I mean Haruno.”

Bruce paused, “I hear she retained her married name.  And if you want my advice then stay away from her.”

“I can’t.  I have this assignment.”

“Pass it off to Lois.”

“She won’t talk to Lois.”

Batman snorted.  “I wonder why.”  Clark frowned and shook his head. 

“This is serious.  Why am I so drawn to her?”

“Clark,”  Batman began pulling off his cowl.  “You were married to the woman for five years.  Even if your mind has no physical memories of your relationship with her, your body does.”

“I wasn’t married to her.  _He_ was.” 

“Technicalities that don’t apply to the situation.  If you want my advice, you should avoid her.  If you can’t, keep your time with her as short as possible.  Do your job and then get out.”

Clark nodded his head.  Just do his job.  It was that simple. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let me help you  
> Take off your shoes  
> Untie your shoestrings  
> Take off your cuff links  
> \--Destiny's Child

It wasn’t that simple.

Unfortunately, it was something Clark didn’t realize until he was in the presence of Sakura-El once again. 

When he knocked on the door, she had called out a cheery, “Come in.”

Clark frowned when he realized the door wasn’t locked.  It hardly seemed safe, and he wanted to lecture her about it, but it wasn’t his place.  Clark felt his fist clench and then unclench before he forced himself to relax.

When he came in, he noted her hair was up in a ponytail.  As she moved around straightening things her hair swished from side to side revealing glimpses of her pale neck.  He imagined if he touched the skin on the back of her neck it would be unbelievably soft. 

“Welcome back,”  She said before moving towards her kitchen.  Clark blinked and shook his head with the intention of focusing.  “Would you like something to drink?”  Clark swore he detected an accent in her voice, but he couldn’t identify what it was.  He wondered if she would be offended if he questioned her on it.  He had learned the hard way that some people were.  Clark opted to hold his tongue for the time being.  Maybe it would come up later.

“Water, please if it’s no trouble.”  She didn’t reply, and he moved to ease himself into the spot where he sat the previous day.  She came back shortly thereafter with a glass.  The glass sat in her palm while her other hand curled around the side of it.  She passed it to him with both hands.  Clark took it from her muttering, “Thank you.” 

He took a small sip before directing his attention back to her.  She wore a cream colored turtleneck sweater and a pair of dark jean pants.  Her feet were bare, but she'd painted her toenails a soft pink.  Her feet looked dainty. 

When she got down on her knees beside him, he nearly choked as he was trying to figure out what she was doing. Her attention wasn’t on him instead she was looking at the ground.  He leaned forward a little trying to see what held her attention but was distracted by her scent.  She smelled like peppermints and Clark wanted to inhale her skin, but doing so was entirely inappropriate.  He jumped spilling a little of the water on him but before he could utter a question her hands were on his feet and slipping his shoes off.

“I-I can do that.”  Clark spluttered, but she had already accomplished her task and took his shoes back to the entryway. 

“No shoes in my home Mr. Kent.”  She chided, but she still wore a smile.  When she came back, she settled across from him and tucked her feet beneath her on the couch.  She looked calmer than she had the previous day and he felt his heart leap because of it.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.  I should have mentioned it yesterday, but I didn’t expect you to stay.  So where were we?”

Clark pulled out his phone and sat it on the table that separated them from each other. 

“Um, you branded yourself with his Clan symbol.  I wanted to know how was doing that better than the collar?”

“Some would say it wasn’t and that it was worse.  However, the S on my back was my choice, my decision—not his.  I decided to show him in my way that I accepted being Sakura-El in every sense of the word, and I wanted other people to know it too.  I was loyal to my husband."

A smile graced her lips as she added in a wry tone,   "It also helped that it wasn’t permanent.”

“Not permanent?  But every picture on the internet of you shows it on your back.”

She turned her back to him then and raised her shirt revealing smooth, flawless skin.  Clark’s fingers twitched.  She pulled her sweater down and turned back around to face him.  “As I said, Mr. Kent, it is temporary.  Whenever I was at a public venue, for Kal, I made sure it was in place.  Otherwise, it was unnecessary.  He knew I was loyal to him.  He only wanted other people to know it.  I did a lot of things for Kal just because I loved him.”

“Like what?  Wait, before you answer that I wanted to back up.  You say you loved Kal-El,”

Her eyes narrowed.  “The implication in your words is that I’m lying about that which is something I find highly offensive, Mr. Kent.”

“And I apologize for that.  It wasn’t my intention.  I just wanted to know when did you realize that you loved Kal-El and how did you tell him?”

Sakura-El stilled.  Her face grew pale before it flushed red.  It was the first time he had seen her lose her composure.  Her mouth opened and then snapped shut.  Her bottom lip trembled, and Clark feared for a second that she would start crying again.  Thankfully, she didn’t. 

“Those are two questions that have very different stories attached to them.”  They were stories that Sakura had to severely edit for her safety.  But what happened was…

* * *

 

_Sakura opened her eyes troubled.  Someone was inside their home.  She didn’t know who it was, but she did know that they weren’t welcome.   Kal had a strict rule.  He was not to be disturbed while they were in bed.  Anyone who dared cross that line would suffer the consequences if what they wanted wasn’t deemed important—and to Kal that meant ‘the world had better be mother fucking ending.’_

_Sakura lay in the bed for a moment longer wondering whether or not someone was going to die that night.  She prayed fervently that Kal took them elsewhere if he was going to kill someone.  She hated trying to get blood out of the carpet.  It would turn into a fight that she just didn’t want to have.   Why did she have to explain over and over again that you don’t kill people in the house?  At the very least he could take them outside first.  Common courtesy was common courtesy._

_Sakura turned her head to try and figure out why her husband wasn’t moving yet.  Under normal circumstances, he would be up already striding across the room and out the door.  That he hadn’t moved puzzled her.  When Sakura’s eyes alighted on Kal, it was to see that he was sweating profusely.  A sliver of fear ran down her spine.  Kal wasn't moving, and it was clear that he was in pain.  She had never seen him in such a state.  When he saw she was awake he said one agonized word, “Run.”_

_But Sakura was no runner._

_Her powerful husband was in pain.  She would fix it.  Sakura sat up in bed and put a hand on his forehead.  “What’s going on Kal?  What is happening to you?”_

_“Go!”  He said once more, but Sakura merely scowled._

_“I’ll leave you the second you leave me.”  He weakly swatted at her hand, and Sakura was surprised that it lacked a sting.  Why was he so weak?  Sakura debated what to do first.  She could either fix Kal or find out who was inside their home._

_It seemed important that no one was allowed to see Kal in the state that he was in so she had to get rid of the unwanted guests.  “I’m going to find out who’s in the house.  You stay here.”_

_Sakura didn’t think he could move, but he did try to hold on to her, but Sakura shrugged him off.  She opened the drawer to her nightstand where she kept a kunai she had located hidden just in case of an emergency.  Kal had either never noticed it or didn’t care that it was there.  It wasn’t like she could harm him with it._

_She moved to the door not creating a single sound as she knew which floorboards squeaked and which ones didn’t.  She swung it open enough for her to slide out.  Once she was in the hall, she created a clone and sent it back inside with her husband because she didn’t like the thought of him being alone with no protection when something was clearly sapping his strength.  Sakura’s clone closed the door behind her and she let her eyes adjust to the darkness._

_The hallway was silent.  Eerily so.  If this were one of Kal’s minions, they would have announced themselves by now.  A bad feeling settled in Sakura’s gut.   Sakura crept forward toward the stairs.  She thought about heading directly down the stairs but knew that anyone could be watching for that action.  So Sakura crept up the wall, reminiscent to a spider hero in a different universe, using a jutsu to hide within the shadows.  Her eyes alighted on three people that should not have been there.  She didn’t recognize any of them and all of them, had glowing green rocks in their hands._

_Sakura frowned not understanding the purpose.  Were they a weapon of some kind?  Were they the reason that Kal was incapacitated?_

_“They said him and the wife would be upstairs.”_

_“We need to hurry.  They’ll know we’re here by now.”_

_“Death to the Dictator!”_

_“What will we do with the wife?”  One asked, and another replied rubbing himself vulgarly.  “I can think of a few things.” The other two laughed, and Sakura’s heart hardened.  She had felt a brief wave of pity for the people because she knew that Kal was a harsh ruler, but with their words they eradicated her sympathy for their plight._

_They all rushed to the stairs as Sakura decided she had heard enough.  They were here to kill Kal, and they had obviously found a way to do it judging by Kal’s condition.  Once they hit the stairs, Sakura dropped down softly behind them._

_It was child’s play to slit the throat of one in the back.  Blood splattered her clothes, and it made Sakura grimace.  She wouldn’t be able to fuss at Kal  about the mess this time.  It was her fault.  She could just imagine him gloating later.  That was okay because this time she’d make_ him _clean_ her _mess so he could see how she felt._

_The fall of her victim down the stairs alerted the others that something was amiss.  Sakura was tempted to use a genjutsu to hide from them but realized that all she had to do is step into the shadows.  They wouldn’t be able to see her.  Kal didn’t need a lot of light to get around and honestly, she didn’t either._

_“Jason?”  One called out, “where are you, man?  Are you alright?”_

_Sakura watched as the one in the middle took a few steps down and knew the minute he saw Jason’s body.  He lay in a pool of blood at the foot of the stairs. When he saw the body, he ran back up a few steps.  “Greg, we need to go.  This stuff isn’t working.  He’s in here.  He just killed Jason.”_

_Greg wasn’t one to listen.  “This is the genuine article.  Trust me it works.  He couldn’t have killed him because if he had, we wouldn’t still be alive.  Jason probably just tripped and broke his neck.  Let’s do this.”_

_“There’s too much blood for that!  I’m telling you, we should—“_

_Sakura didn’t give any time for further warning.  She threw her kunai, and it struck the one with a little common sense in the throat causing him to tumble backward down the stairs and fall on top of Jason._

_“And then there was one,”  Sakura called out and began to move forward._

_“Wh-who are you?”_

_“You have entered the House of Kal-El, ruler of this world.  You have come with the intention to do harm to him and his family.  And your first question is to ask me who I am?”  Sakura laughed cruelly.  “Your question should be ‘will you spare me’?”_

_“Will—“_

_Before he could voice the question, Sakura moved and grabbed Greg by the throat.  Greg, the one who had the brilliant idea to try and rape her._

_“Now the way I see it, I can give you a merciful death and kill you now.  Or…I can take you to my husband and let him decide your fate.”_

_Sakura leaned forward her breath ghosting across the intruder’s skin._

_“Which way do you think I’m leaning?”_

_Sakura loosened her grip around the intruder’s neck.  “Please, don’t kill me.”_

_“Why shouldn't I kill you?  Would you have given me any mercy had you found me in bed with my husband?  Would you have taken away my reason for living without recourse?”_

_“You crazy bitch!  How can you love that bastard?”_

_“I could ask the same thing of your mother,”  Sakura replied before hauling the man to her bedroom._

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now tell me whatcha gonna do  
> When there ain't nowhere to run  
> When judgment comes for you  
> \--Bone Thugs in Harmony

_When Sakura reenters her bedroom, it is to see that Kal isn’t any better than he was when she left.  If anything he looks worse.  Her clone hovers over him using her chakra to try and figure out what is wrong with him.  Sakura and her clone exchange glances and Sakura can see clearly the fear that is written on her face._

_“How is he?”  Sakura asks as she shoved her prisoner to his knees.  She hears him grunt but deems it irrelevant._

_Her clone gave the answer that she is expecting.  “Not good.  Do you know what’s happening?”  Sakura shakes her head negatively._

_“Switch with me.  Cut off his dick if he tries to escape.”  Her clone arches a brow but otherwise doesn’t argue.  “Fuck him with it?”  The clone came over to Sakura and held out a hand for the kunai that Sakura  left embedded in a throat at the bottom of her stairs.  Sakura nearly smacks herself for leaving it behind—not that she needs it, but a weapon in hand will make her threats more terrifying to a person who knows nothing about chakra.  Sakura improvises and uses an insignificant genjutsu to make him think she passed a weapon to her clone._

_“Sure if you want.”_

_The man whimpers.  Sakura would have smiled if she hadn’t been so worried about Kal.  She moves to his side and lets her face hover of his._

_“Kal.”  Sakura lightly taps his cheek.  “Kal, baby, open your eyes.  I need to know how to help you.”  He remains unresponsive.  Fear clutches her heart, and that makes her reckless.    Sakura smacks him harder.  “Kal, don’t you dare leave me here alone!”  His eyes flutter and then open.  He stares at her for a moment, and Sakura doesn’t see recognition in his eyes.  She reaches out and grips his arm tightly.  With him in the state that he is in it should have hurt and she doesn’t care if it does.  She will do anything to get a response out of him.  She is deathly afraid that she is perilously close to losing him.  She can’t lose Kal.  What would she do without him?_

_The answer to that question comes to Sakura’s mind with clarity.  She can’t live in this world without Kal.  He is the only thing that makes it bearable.  It is odd, but she is certain that his insanity helped her keep a small grasp on her own._

_“The threat is eliminated Kal.  Now tell me how to help you!”_

_Kal’s eyes flutter close, and Sakura raises her hand ready to smack the shit out of him again.  But he opens them before she can.  “Kryptonite.”_

_“Kryptonite?  Where is it?  What do I do with it?  Tell me.  I’ll get it.”_

* * *

_Kal’s body begins to shudder, and her prisoner begins to laugh.  Her clone hisses in a very unladylike fashion and grabs his hair and yanks it back.  “I’ve got a million and one ways in my mind that I can torture you.  Some I learned from my people, most I’ve learned from yours.  Would you like to see a few or all of them?”  Her clone doesn’t get a response, so she yanks his hair harder.  “I can see each strand of your hair.”  She says in a musing tone.  “Shall I start by pulling them out one by one?  Or would you prefer a more traditional method of torture like toenail removal?  I’m not a big fan of feet, but I’m not opposed to starting there.”  Sakura’s clone isolates a strand of hair and yanks it out causing the man to cry out.  “Whichever you prefer.”_

_“What do you want?”_

_Sakura’s clone growls, “I want to know what’s hurting my husband and how to make it stop.”  For good measure, she pulls out five strands of hair in rapid succession._

_Sakura calls out, “Hair is too gentle.  Move to the toes.  Make it hurt.”_

_Her clone shrugs, “You’re the boss.”_

* * *

_“Kal, I swear to you if you leave me I won’t stop until I’ve dragged you back from hell and made you suffer for it.  What is Kryptonite?”_

_And then Sakura pauses and starts using her common sense._

_Malachite_

_Tanzanite_

_Kyanite_

_Kryptonite_

_There is no other explanation.  They are all stones.   The only stones she has seen recently…_

_Sakura releases Kal and snaps both fingers as the truth dawns on her.   Kryptonite is the glowing green rocks that their home invaders brandished.  They waved them as if they are weapons…because that’s what they are.  Sakura glances around.  There are none in the room.  How can those tiny little stones affect him from so far away?  And then Sakura has two unfortunate realizations._

  1. _When she captured her prisoner he still had the Kryptonite in his hand.  She has brought it into the room with them._



  1. _There is more Kryptonite downstairs with the two men she killed._



  1. _There has to be Kryptonite somewhere else that she hasn’t yet seen._



_Sakura turns to her clone.  “Knock him unconscious and take the stone in his hands.”  The man starts to struggle, but Sakura’s clone has taken him out before he can put up too much of a fight.  “Now, go downstairs.  There should be two more with the bodies I left down there.  Get them and take them as far away as you can.”_

_“No.”  Kal says, “Wait.”_

_Sakura turns her head and looks at her husband.  Her eyes soften.  “You should rest.”_

_“Closet.  Top shelf.  Box.”_

_Sakura hesitates for a moment before she moves away from Kal and to the closet.  She has noticed the heavy box there.  She doesn't know what it is for and when she wanted to get rid of it since it is taking up space Kal refused. Sakura grabs the box and opens it, knowing it is empty.   She has looked inside of it a time or two before._

_“Put them inside,”  Kal says and struggles to sit up, but Sakura places a palm on his chest and holds him down.  Her clone comes and grabs the box and followed Kal’s instructions.  The second her clone leaves the room Kal starts to look a little better.  Sakura then begins to scour the place for the remaining Kryptonite._

_She knows no one has entered their bedroom without them knowing.  She set traps just for such an occasion.  Thankfully she is an early riser and never had to say anything to Kal about her actions.  Although she knows that as soon they had made it through this she is going to have a lot of explaining to do._

_Sakura’s clone comes back and has the stones locked in Kal’s box.  He looks even better than before, but he isn’t out of the woods._

_“I can’t find anymore, but I know it’s here,”  Sakura tells her clone._

_“You checked the entire room?  Bathroom included?”_

_Sakura nods her head.  “Yes.”_

_“Then there’s only one place it could be.”  Both Sakura and her clone turn their heads simultaneously and look at the window.  If it isn’t inside, then logic dictates that it is outside._

_Sakura makes it to the window first and raises it.  A screen is blocking her from sticking her head out, so she pushes it, so it falls to the ground and pokes her head out.  She feels her clone on her left-hand side._

_Sakura easily finds a piece of Kryptonite attached to a piece of the window that she can’t see from the inside.  Her clone finds another on the opposite side.  They grab both pieces and locke it in the box as Kal has instructed._

_Both Sakura and her clone turn and look at Kal who sitsup and looks in their direction.  Sakura assures her clone.  “I think he’ll be ok.”  Sakura’s clone looks down at the body on the floor._

_“What about him?”_

_“A gift for our husband,”  Sakura replies.  Her clone smiles, and Sakura dispells it and turnes to face her husband who has risen to his feet.  He still looks weak, and Sakura clutches her hands together and stares at him worriedly._

_Kal strides Sakura’s way, and Sakura stands tall sure that he is about to question her but he looks her over and pulls her into his arms and holds her tightly.  “Are you injured?  Do I need to seek assistance?”_

_Sakura blinks wondering where the question comes from and then realizes that he must see the blood that stains her clothes._

_“I’m uninjured Kal.  Don’t worry about me.”  Kal squeezes her tighter as if to say ‘nonsense.’  But Sakura pulls away to get her own confirmation and lookes into his blue eyes.  “But you’re ok?”_

_Kal doesn’t answer.  Instead, he brushes by her and looks at the man who lay at their feet._

_“He did this?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“Alone?”_

_“There are two more downstairs.  I suspect there were more, but I—“_

_Kal cut her off.  “Are they alive?”_

_Sakura shakes her head.  “No.”_

_Kal turns and looks at her then as if seeing her for the first time.  “You killed them.”_

_Sakura thinks about denying it, but a surge of fresh rage rushes through her when she thinks about what they could have done to Kal and she can’t.  “Yes.”  She spits out. “And if I could I would do it again and again, but slower because it would be more satisfying.”_

_Kal chuckles.  “Sakura-El, I think you’ve been keeping secrets from your Lord and Master.”_

_Sakura rolls her eyes.  “I’ve been keeping secrets from my husband, yes.  Lord and Master?  I don’t think I have one of those.  Besides, I’m not the only one keeping secrets Mr.  I Have A Deathly Allergy to a Rock.”  Kal gives her a roguish grin and then pointedly ignores her latter statement._

_“That’s not what I recall from our wedding reception.”_

_Sakura scowls.  “You’re never letting that go, are you?”_

_“Of course not.  You spoke truth.”_

_The El household is distracted from their banter when they hear a moan.  Sets of blue and green eyes focus on the body of the man in their midst.  The man sits up and looks around confused as to where he is.  He figures it out fairly quickly when he sees Kal-El standing above his body.  He screams, but Kal-El merely kneels until he is at eye level with the man and waits patiently._

_Sakura isn’t as patient as Kal.  The noise is getting on her nerves, so she moves closer with the intent to stop it by cutting his vocal cords, but Kal’s hand darts out and stops her from touching him.  He grabs her other hand and turns them both palm up before kissing the inside of each._

_“There is no need for you to dirty your pretty hands on this trash.  Besides, I believe you said this is a gift for me.”  She did say that so she slowly lowers her hands._

_“Kal, don’t kill him in the bedroom.  I don’t want a mess.”  Or rather a bigger mess.  She is certain the downstairs is a nightmare.  She hadn’t wanted to turn on any lights to see just how bad it iwas.  The screaming got worse.  They both ignore it._

_“Do you trust me?”_

_Sakura opens her mouth to reply immediately with a ‘yes, ’ but something in his visage makes her pause.  Kal is more shaken by her ability to kill without remorse than she realizes.  Or maybe he is bothered by the fact that she hasn’t trusted him with her secret.  However, the more likely cause was that she had been in danger and he had been unable to protect her, and it is killing him._

_“Kal, I do trust you.  I just…I would do anything for you.”_

_“All you need to do is stay with me.  The rest I want you to leave to me.”_

_Sakura easily discerns what he is saying.  He doesn’t want her to kill.  She can’t promise him that.  Sakura slowly shakes her head.  Because of the path Kal has chosen to walk down, he needs a woman by his side who isn’t afraid to do what needs to be done.  He needs her abilities and her full support.  She can’t pretend to be some pretty princess at his side and not use her abilities to their advantage.  That isn’t her.  That isn’t the woman she wants to be._

_“If they come for you again…”_

_“Sakura,”  Kal says firmly, but Sakura ignores him._

_“No.  I won’t compromise on this Kal.  No one gets to kill you but me.  If you die, it will be by my hand because you’ve gone so far that even I can’t overlook it.  I won’t stand by idly and let anyone get to you. If you can’t fight your battles I’ll fight them for you and damn it I won’t lose.  I will_ not _lose you Kal.  I will not lose us.   You are my husband.  We are a unit.  We stand together.  We fall together.  If you can’t accept that, you shouldn’t have married me because this is the way it’s going to be.  And you, Kal-El, are stuck with me because I don’t care what you say or what you do I will never leave you behind.  I will never abandon you.  That is my nindo.  So don’t you dare ask it of me.”_

_Kal is silent a long moment before he rises to his feet, the hysterical man temporarily forgotten._

_“_ Alright _.  It will be as you wish.  If I die, it will be by your hand and no other.  I will live for you.”  Kal turns his head and looks at the intruder.  “But he will die for us.”_

_ _

 

_Sakura doesn’t disagree._

* * *

That isn’t the way it happened.  Clark realizes.  He also knows somehow that she is leaving out a lot of details and yet she hasn’t lied.  Or if she has she doesn’t have any discernable indications that she has done so.

“It wasn’t until I had almost lost him that I realized how much he had come to mean to me.  Have you ever watched someone you loved die?”

Clark’s voice broke as he says, “My father.”

“Then you know.  You know what’s it’s like to feel helpless and-“ 

She breaks off and falls silent.  Clark watches as she curls into herself on the sofa.  Her whole body trembls violently.  Clark jumps to his feet without a thought and takes her into his arms and holds her tightly as she wails, “I never told him I loved him until the day he died!”

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All your fears and doubts are  
> Hovering above you like a cloud  
> And the water's rising  
> Now I can't breathe  
> Nothing's like it's supposed to be  
> \--JC Chasez

She is falling apart in his arms.  Piece by beautiful piece.  She is like a doll, broken by circumstances beyond her control.

Clark has no idea what possesses him to pull her to him, but he can’t just let her cry.  She is heartbroken, and he is the cause this with his thoughtless questions.  The reporter holds her tight murmuring nonsensical words while rubbing her lower back soothingly. 

Her frame is small, and yet somehow the feel of her is just right.  Clark tries not to think about it, but it is like their bodies are puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together.  Her shoulders shake violently with her sobs.  At her behavior, one would think Kal-El had…died just the previous day and not months ago.  Although, honestly, he wonders if she has anyone to share her grief.  She behaves as if Kal was her entire world and now she is all alone.

Clark thinks about what it would be like to be alone in the world with no one to rely on or help you.  Clark still has his mother, and even without her, he has the others in the League always looking out for him.  Although, some of them scattered in the wake of his evil counterpart most stayed and fought to bring him back where he belonged. 

Did Sakura-El have anyone?

Sakura’s sobs slowly subside, and she pulls away from him.  He isn’t bereft of the loss of her in his arms.  Or at least that’s what he told himself.

She raises a hand and covers her face, hiding from him.  Clark’s hand snakes out and pulls her hand away from her face. 

“You don’t have to hide from me.”

Her red-rimmed eyes stare at him blearily for a brief second before she averts her eyes.  Something in Clark couldn’t allow that, so he extends a single finger and touches her chin bringing her focus back to him.  They stare into each other’s eyes for a long moment.  Her lips part slightly, and Clark’s eyes settle on them. 

Clark doesn’t know whether or not she recognizes where his eyes have drifted, but he feels his cheeks warm when she slowly rises to her feet.  “I’m going to wash my face.  If you give me a few minutes, I’ll compose myself, and we can begin again.”

Clark opens his mouth, but Sakura raises her hand again.  “Mr. Kent if you’re going to offer to forget this whole thing then stop.  I don’t mind talking about Kal.  It helps a little reliving the old memories.  Whether I stay silent or I speak, I’ll still miss him and yearn for him.  Despite my pain, this is something I want to do.  If you would be so kind as to bear with me, we’ll get through this.”

Clark nods his head, and she slips out of the room.

* * *

 

When she returns, Clark is in his former seat still berating himself for taking her into his arms.  He wonders if he’d be able to sleep that night without thinking of how she felt so right.  So absorbed Clark is in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice her peering at him quizzically. 

She has gotten close to him.  Close enough for him to touch her once more.  She kneels on the ground at his side.  She places both elbows on the sofa capturing her face in her hands as she looks up at him with a pair of big beautiful and bright green eyes. 

“Are you alright, Mr. Kent?”

Clark blinks rapidly.  “I should be asking you that.”  She gives him a sad smile and rolls her eyes.  “Define alright.”

Clark watches as she continued pulling herself together.  It clues him into something.  The serenity she projects is a façade.  The woman is the furthest thing from calm.  She is holding herself together by sheer force of will. He finds that he admires her determination and decides he isn’t going to push it. 

He decides to let go of the question of how she told Kal-El she loved him.  It obviously distresses her, and while it is a piece of information, the world would like to know about he told her the truth when he said he never goes after anyone with the intention to harm.

Clark reaches for one of the hands in which her face rests.  He tugs on it a bit, and she allows it, releasing her face.   Silently he raises their joined hands upward urging her to rise to her feet.  She obeys his unspoken request and sits on the sofa at his side.  Clark feels his heart speed up a little at her action. 

“You’re quite odd, Mr. Kent.”

Clark clears his throat and reaches to straighten a tie that isn’t there.  “How so?”

“At times you seem almost unbearably uncomfortable around me while at others you appear so at ease.  It’s almost like you have a dual nature.”

Clark gives the Dictator's wife a winning smile.  “Are you suggesting I have a split personality?”

“Nothing quite that harsh,”  Sakura-El says hastily.  “I just don’t understand you.”

“We’ve just met.  You don’t know enough to understand.”

The average person wouldn’t have heard her murmur under her breath, “Is that so?”  Clark isn’t  the average person, but he still pretends as if he hasn’t heard her.  She doesn’t seem bothered that he hasn’t heard.  Instead, Sakura-El slides a little closer to him and reaches her hand out.  He thinks she is about to cup his face but realizes at the last second she is reaching for his glasses.  He backs away from her swiftly.  He isn’t certain if she notices or not, but he has probably moved more than human fast. 

To distract her mentally, he clears his throat and changes the subject altogether since he is there to interview her and not be interviewed.  He also isn’t there to let her know that he, Clark Kent, a reporter for the Daily Planet, is Superman, her ex-husband.

“Um, earlier you told me that Kal-El was a good husband.  What was one non-harmful thing that he did that benefited you as a person?”

Sakura bursts out laughing.  “As opposed to the harmful ones?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I assume that you’re referring to the very publicized situation with Enrico Inzerillo.”

The term ‘situation’ is an understatement.  The demise of Enrico Inzerillo and his family at the hands of the Dictator had been a public spectacle.  Clark didn’t comment, but he knows that Kal-El slaughtered an entire family because Enrico had dared to touch his wife.  It was such a cruel and unusual punishment that it sparked a deeper fear of the Dictator within the general populace. 

“I’ll answer your question, Mr. Kent.  But I’ll answer your unspoken one first.  I first met Enrico Inzerillo the night of my wedding reception…”

* * *

 

_“Kal, are we going to mingle with the guests?”  Kal turns to her and raises a brow at her audacity.  “They came from all over the world just to wish us well.  At the very least-“_

_“They came from all over the world because they knew I’d hunt them down and kill them if they didn’t.”_

_Sakura pauses.  “That doesn’t mean we have to be bad hosts.”_

_Kal stares at her for a long moment before he asks, “Why is it that when I mention killing someone, it never bothers you?”_

_Sakura pauses and thinks about that for a moment.    She turns her head and looks at all the guests that surround them.  She doesn’t know a single person in the room.  Truthfully, she doesn’t have a desire to get to know them either.  However, they are Kal’s subjects, and she knows it would be best if they spoke to them even if only a little.     “I suppose it’s because I’m a bit detached from them.”_

_“And are you detached from me?”_

_Sakura snorts.  “I don’t think anyone in their right mind could be disconnected from you, Kal.”_

_The smile he gives her is cocky.  He reaches behind her forcing her to scoot forward on the throne she sits upon at his side while he traces her back with his fingers._

_“You know you belong to me now.”  Sakura feels a thrill slide up her spine at his words but forces herself to keep it from being visible._

_“You have an unfortunate way of treating me like property.”  Kal shrugs as if her words are inconsequential.  Sakura is tempted to hit him but restrains herself.  “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that’s no way to treat a lady?”_

_Kal locks eyes with Sakura, and her breath catches. Something in his eyes tells her he’d burn her clothes off right that second if he could and show her his way of treating a lady.  The room heats up several degrees. “And is the lady in question truly offended?”_

_She isn’t.  Especially not when Kal looks at her like that.  Talk about needing a cold shower._

_Sakura doesn’t answer his question and instead rises to her feet._

_“I’m going to meet and greet.  One of us has to be, what is it that your people say?  The good cop?”_

_Kal chuckles,  “When are you going to tell me where you’re from?”_

_Sakura smiles, reaches out, and trails a finger down her husband’s arm teasing him with her fingertips much the way he teased her with his eyes moments earlier.  “Where I’m from is unimportant.  All that matters is that I am where I want to be—with you.”_

_Sakura turns and walks away from Kal aware that his eyes are fixed firmly on her frame.  It makes her smile just a little brighter._

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're an alien, your touch so foreign  
> Its supernatural, extraterrestrial  
> \--Katy Perry

_She was the center of attention, and for some reason, she thrives on it.  Eyes remain on her and Sakura places a soft, caring smile on her lips.  She let a glint of kindness shine in her eyes and benevolence radiate off her skin.  She is a wolf in sheep’s clothing because she has a feeling that’s what Kal needs her to be.  She will get on the good side of every person that she can for Kal’s best interests._

_The kunoichi scans the room trying to figure out who to approach first.  Her gaze falls on a man who watches her steadily.  He is a handsome devil and obviously well made.  His shoulders were broad, and there is a woman on both sides of him.  One of them giggles at something he says, however, Sakura finds it odd that it doesn’t bother the women that he is not looking at them.   Something about him feels cold to Sakura and it intrigues her slightly.  However, Sakura doesn’t think it wise to let him be the first person she approaches.  It would be unseemly for her, as a married woman, to go to the side of the second most handsome man she spots in the room._

_Instead, Sakura lets her gaze roam the area again, and she sees what she presumes to be a kind older man.  She later learns that very few people in association with Kal could be assigned the adjective ‘kind.’_

_He is nicely dressed in a dark gray suit with a blue striped tie.  He immediately notices when she heads his way, so Sakura keeps a small polite smile on her face._

_When she reaches his side, her eyes dart around to the people at the table surveying them. The table is round and at it sits a younger man, slight of frame with beady eyes.  He sits at the left side of the older gentlemen.  Next to him is a woman with wild red curls whose breasts are a step beyond impressive.  And There is one remaining man at the table.  His attention is on her and yet Sakura could tell it is on everyone in the room as well.  He looks like he has the potential to be dangerous._

_Sakura turns to the older man and smiles extending her hand.  “Hello, I’m Sakura-El.”_

_:::_

Clark clears his throat which made Sakura pause and study him sensing he had a question. 

“Are you implying that you knew Enrico Inzerillo before he was murdered?” 

“Of course I did.  Back then the media implicated that Kal just killed a random mob boss to take over his territory, which was the furthest thing from the truth, and used me as an excuse to do it.  _Every_ territory was Kal’s territory.  He just let his underlings run it.  Kal knew Inzerillo very well, and we had met on several occasions throughout the years.”

“Then why did Kal-El kill him?”

“That was the one the thing that the media got right.  Kal did kill him because he touched me, but it was a little more involved than that.”

A foreboding cloud looms over Clark’s head.  He doesn’t like the way this is going.     He feels his eyes close, and he can clearly see a vision in his mind.

:::

_Sakura’s disappearance lingers entirely too long.  Kal feels his eye twitch at the lack of her presence.  He knows she hates these meeting yet he always forces her to attend.  He never allows her to speak during them, but Sakura has a very keen mind and everything she observes she reports back to him.  It has helped him immensely in the past, and that was why he requires she stay even if he has her pretend to be a brainless twit while she is there._

_He knows she hates that, but Kal is big on deception.  And the less his frenemies know about him and his wife the better.  Not to mention that Sakura is scarily adept at acquiring information.  He never asks her how that is, but he knows that is the case._

_When she appears once more, he notes that her countenance is pale.  Something is worrying her.  Kal finds that he does not like being uninformed as to what it is.  He is tempted to dismiss them all to tend to her, but he does not._

_Kal-El does not note that the old Enrico Inzerillo returns to the room about ten minutes after Sakura’s return._

* * *

“Mr. Kent I think I mentioned to you before that I was embroiled in a world where women that were not in positions of power were not very respected.  Most people assumed that Kal’s interest in me lay in what was between my thighs.”

Clark flinches before he can stop himself.  “But he wasn’t.”

Sakura smiles with a lascivious twinkle in her eye.  “Oh he very much was, it just wasn’t the only thing that he was interested in.”

And then Clark becomes extremely uncomfortable because her eyes glaze over and he is certain she is reliving a rather…lusty memory of her time spent with her husband.  He has a hard time not responding to it. 

* * *

 

_When Sakura sits down at Kal’s side her back is ramrod straight, and she clasps her hands in her lap before she crosses her feet at the ankle.  Kal couldn’t ever recall Sakura holding herself like that, and he knows that something is bothering her._

_Is someone about to betray him?_

_An odd thing about Sakura that Kal-El notices is that when he speaks in tones that no one else could discern Sakura can always hear.  So in Kryptonian Kal asks his wife softly, “what’s wrong?”_

_Sakura gives him a tremulous smile and responds in kind, “I’m fine Kal.  Let’s just finish the meeting.”_

_Kal did not immediately think there is something wrong with her specifically and now he knows there is.  He is also aware that she is lying to him and now he is angry._

_“You will tell me what happened and you will tell me now.”  He utters with a calm deadly force that Sakura usually responds to.  With a sigh, Sakura rises to her feet and this time, without a word explanation to the other three men in the room Kal follows._

_They enter the kitchen where Sakura turns and faces him.  She folds her arms across her chest, and Kal could see that her rage is barely held in check.  He doesn’t like her shifting emotions._

_“Tell me.”_

_She shifts slightly and says, “Kal, you know I’m not from this world.”_

_“It was a reasonable conclusion given that the government had captured you.”  She stares at him for a long moment.  “It doesn’t bother me Sakura if that’s what you’re asking.  I’m not from this planet either.”_

_“And if you had the chance to go home-“_

_“I don’t.  My planet died shortly after my birth.”_

_Sakura flinches at his words but does not remark upon them.  “But if you did—“_

_“You don’t get to leave me Sakura, ever.”_

_His statement is cold, and he watches as Sakura rolls her eyes.  She waves off his words as if they were ridiculous. “No one’s talking about leaving you Kal.  Not ever.”  Her reassurance eases the knot that he notices is forming in his chest.  “What I’m saying is if you had a way to go back, would you?”_

_“No.”  His answer is immediate, and he sees Sakura’s lips curl in response._

_“Me either, but—“_

_“There is no but Sakura.”  He isn’t going to listen to this.  Sakura stomps her foot in annoyance, and Kal feels his lips quirk upward._

_“Kal-El!”_

_“What does this have to do with why you’re upset?”_

_Sakura looks down quietly.  “One of your associates has obtained information about me and my people.  He claims he knows how to get me home.”_

_Kal raises a brow.  “You’re not going.”_

_“We’ve already established that.  It doesn’t mean that I don’t want to at the very least send word that I’m alive and well.”  Kal is unmoved._

_“And what was the price of this information that he dangled before you?”_

_Sakura worries her bottom lip and says, “Now, Kal you’re not going to like this, and I don’t want you to overreact.”_

_Sakura’s skin loses its pallor, and Kal found himself getting angry just on principle alone._

_“Speak woman.”_

_“Sexual favors.”_

* * *

A wave of rage washes over Clark.   Anger that likes of which he had never known.  And Clark knows that this isn’t the end of it. 

“I talked him down that day. Because Inzerillo was one of Kal’s biggest and best mobsters.  His tactics were very orderly and controlled, and we profited a lot because of his management.  Weapons, drugs, medicine.  Almost everything came through Inzerillo, and I honestly didn’t want Kal to lose him because the man was also an old idiot.”

Clark opens his mouth to reply but found that nothing he could say would be the right thing, so he clamps his mouth shut and let Kal-El’s widow continue.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know you  
> I walked with you once upon a dream  
> I know you  
> The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam  
> \--Sleeping Beauty

“I forgot that sometimes common sense isn’t common.  I was certain that giving Inzerillo a firm ‘no’ would end the situation.  He would realize that he had crossed a line and be glad that he got away with his life.    But the truth was because Kal didn’t kill him he was certain that he didn’t know.  He assumed that I didn’t tell him and I, in some twisted way, wanted to take him up on his offer, so he kept trying.”

“And why didn’t the Dictator do anything about it sooner?”

Color floods Sakura-El’s cheeks, and she looks away from him.  “I’m a big girl, Mr. Kent.  I can take care of myself.  I could handle a dirty old man trying to get in my pants.  He wouldn’t be the first one to try.  I saw no need to go running to _Kal_ whenever something bad happened.”

Clark hears her emphasis on Kal, and he realizes what he has done, but he can’t find it in himself to apologize at the moment.  In Clark’s mind, her words translate to one single statement.  Clark says flatly, “You didn’t tell him.”

“He would have killed him, and that would have been a bad business move.  It _was_ a bad business move that he might not have recovered from if-“  Her words break off and she shakes her head.  “Inzerillo didn’t have to die.  I was handling it.”

“But he found out.”

“Yes, he found out.  Kal always found out.”  A fond smile crosses her lips.  “He was smart like that.” 

The sentiment is evident in her voice, but Clark can’t focus on it.  He can’t accept the fact that he just might be jealous.  “And how do you think he felt to find out that his wife was being attacked on a regular basis and he knew nothing about it?”

“I never said it happened on a regular basis.”  The Dictator’s wife argues.

“You didn’t deny it either.”  Clark retorts.

“Mr. Kent,”  Sakura begins, but Clark interrupts her and says, “I’d like it if you called me Clark.”

After a lengthy moment of silence Sakura inclines her head and says, “Then, by all means, call me Sakura.”

* * *

 

_Sakura can handle a dirty old man.  She’s dealt with dirty old men before.  Hell, she’s dealt with dirty young men before.  But she doesn’t know how long Kal will be able to handle it.  Sakura has been fending off Inzerillo for months now, and she is getting tired of hiding the strain from Kal.  Every instinct in her body is telling her to snap his neck and be done with it but she can’t.  Kal needs Inzerillo._

_It didn’t help that her husband is always suspicious.  He is even more so when they are in Inzerillo’s presence.  Kal is always careful not to leave the two of them alone.  It hardly does any good because Inzerillo is a wily old man and just because Kal doesn’t leave them in the room together doesn’t mean he can’t find some way to be disgusting while Kal is present._

_When Sakura opens the door to her home and sees Enrico Inzerillo standing alone on her doorstep, she realizes that she isn’t the only one to notice that Kal has been interceding._

_Kal is gone to put down a rebellion.  There are people.  A group that calls themselves something related to Justice.    Sakura was itching to go with him but Kal.  She does not like that he goes out to fight with no one to watch his back. It is her main arguing point that is always shot down. Kal is adamant that she remain separate from his administration of discipline.  She thinks this is ridiculous, but he reminds her that they are playing good cop, bad cop and that she has a role to play.  Sakura regrets ever saying those words to him.  When he leaves, she feels like she’s leaving him behind, that she’s abandoning him.  When she tells him this, he merely takes her in his arms and gifts her with a soul-shattering kiss._

_She has been walking around with a dopey grin on her lips until she is interrupted by a knock on her door._

_“What are you doing here Mr. Inzerillo?”_

_She almost opens her mouth to tell him that Kal isn’t here, but doesn’t think that’s wise._

_“Come now, Sakura, you know you can call me Enrico.”_

_Sakura knows this.  However, calling the man by his first name is far too intimate—not to mention she felt as if she would disrespect Kal, because of his interest in Sakura, if she did so. Sakura was also aware that Kal had stated in no uncertain terms months ago that she was not to be called by her name by anyone but him.  They were to address her at all times as Mistress El._

_Admittedly there were some people that she didn’t make do that except when Kal was around being crotchety.  Like the kids.  Conner and Kara are indispensable to Kal, and they are loyal as well as family.  There is no way she was going she is going to make them call her Mistress El.  Kara calls her Sakura but Conner, her sweet boy, calls her Mom._

_She is really going to have to talk to Kal about letting Conner move in.  Kara is a mite independent, but Sakura is certain that if she could get Conner to agree to move in, then Kara would as well.  It would be easier for Sakura to protect them all that way._

_“No, Mr. Inzerillo, I can’t.  Just as you can’t call me Sakura and you know that.”_

_Sakura knows she is ignored when Inzerillo says, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”_

_Sakura sighs, steps back, and decides to just get this over with as soon as possible._

* * *

“You just let him in!”  Clark knows he’s shouting.  He shouldn’t be shouting.  The events have already unfurled, and Sakura-El is sitting with him safe and sound.  However, if that is the case then why is he suddenly so frightened?

“Clark, I am unharmed.  There’s no cause for alarm.”

Clark hears her amused exasperation and notes that he’s making a fool of himself.  He looks into her eyes and sees her smiling reassuringly.  He soon finds their hands clasped together and felt the gentle squeeze she gives him before she pulls away and says,

“Sometimes Clark you remind me so much of my husband.  If you don’t mind me asking…are you by any chance, Superman?”

Clark freezes.

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I won't, I won't, I won't   
> Cover the scars  
> I'll let 'em bleed  
> So my silence, So my silence won't   
> Be mistaken for peace  
> \--Zane

It is something that has never before happened in Clark’s life.  No one has ever asked him outright if he is Superman.  Probably because no one  has ever suspected.  It explains why he is momentarily rendered speechless by Sakura’s question.  Before he can splutter out a negative answer, she moves closer to him.  Her hands snap out and remove his glasses.  Why was he too slow to stop her?  That shouldn’t have happened. But Clark doesn’t get the chance to process that because she is staring into his eyes.  He should look away or divert her attention, but Clark can’t lie to himself.  Sakura-El captivates him.  While he knows she shouldn’t, he can’t seem to help it. 

He hears her gasp and watches as her hands shake as she takes his face into her hands.  Her body begins to tremble, and her eyes sparkle with unshed tears.  Even in tears, Sakura-El can slay a man with her beauty.  It should be a crime or perhaps a superpower.  Maybe even both.   

“You could render me deaf, dumb, and blind and I would know you anywhere.  Have you come home to me?  Kal, my Kal.” 

Her thumb traces his cheek reverentially.  Clark closes his eyes and allows himself seconds to savor her touch before he reaches his hands up to his face and removes her hands.  When he opens them it is only to see her gazing at him in confusion. 

“I’m not him,”  Clark says firmly.  She doesn’t remark upon that statement.  Instead, she stares at him before she reaches for him again, but this time he doesn’t allow it.  “I’m not him.”  He utters once more.

“I don’t understand.  You are Superman.  Why else would you be here if you weren’t?  If he isn’t inside you?”

“My name is Clark,”  he patiently explains.  “And I am here for an interview.”

She looks at him as if he has physically wounded her and a pain shoots through Clark’s chest.  All Clark can see is betrayal in her eyes, and yet she remains calm.  Her hands shake, though and he realizes she is close to losing her composure.  Righteous indignation is seconds away from dancing on her tongue. 

“So, then, I am to assume that if you have to ask these questions, then you have none of Kal’s memories.  He is well and truly lost to me.”  Her voice sounds hollow and dead.   Hope, which she has valiantly been hiding within her, dies a swift and unjust death. 

Sakura rises to her feet.  Her eyes meet his, but it is as if she is looking through him.  “Morbid curiosity brought you here.  And my grieving is some joke to you.”

“No—it’s not like that.”

“It’s exactly like that.” Sakura laughs bitterly.  “You want to know what he saw in me.  You want to know why he loved me. You want to know why he killed for me because you can’t possibly imagine doing it yourself.”  Clark says nothing because he knows that anything that comes out of his mouth will be a lie and he doesn’t want that.  “So why don’t I just answer the question for you Mr. Kent so that you no longer feel the need to intrude in my life.  I don’t know why Kal loved me.  I don’t know why he asked me to be his wife.  There is nothing in my memories that can help you ascertain why because it was something I never figured out.  To be honest, I don’t care why he loved me.  I’m just glad that he did.  I’m pleased that I got the opportunity to love him back.  He killed for me because that’s who he was.  A killer.  He had no qualms about killing to protect what was his and more than anything else I belonged to him.  Now, I have to ask that you leave my home and please don’t bother to return.”

“Sakura—“

“No.  Don’t you dare use his voice and say my name.  You don’t get to mock me.  You don’t get to hurt me.  Wasn’t the divorce enough?”  Clark flinches at her well-timed barbs.  “You know, people say that Kal was a cruel man…but he never went out of his way to antagonize a widow.  You’re in a special class all on your own _Superman._ I wish the world knew you for who you really are.  A grade A asshole. _Now get out!”_

Clark feels his cheeks flush with embarrassment and moves swiftly to the door.  He opens his mouth to apologize, but he can tell that any words that come out of his mouth will be cut off expeditiously.  So he opens the door and steps out.  She follows after him and slams the door shut behind him.  The door reverberates from the force.

Clark stares at the door for a long time torn between walking away and breaking the door down.  He goes with the former when the sound of Sakura-El weeping reaches his ears. 

He has no right to comfort her.

* * *

 

Clark is well aware that he has screwed up royally.  As he makes his way home, he tries to figure out where it all went wrong.  He also tries to figure out how she uncovered his identity.  No one has ever identified Clark Kent as Superman before, and Sakura did it in two days.  Actually, it is less than that. 

Clark remembers the hope that was in her eyes as she gazed at him.

_Kal, my Kal._

Clark runs a hand over his face.  The longing in her voice he can’t ignore.  But he has to.  The pain in her voice plagues him.

_Kal, my Kal._

 

She wanted so desperately for him to be her husband.  He isn’t.  He never will be. 

 

Superman can never have a relationship with the Dictator’s wife.  The world already has issues trusting him and he can't say that he blames them.  The second he touched Sakura-El they will believe that he is the Dictator and they would take countermeasures. 

He never will be her Kal.  He knew that.  But if he knew that why did he wish….

* * *

 

 

 

Clark, before making sure no one notices, changes into his Superman uniform and takes to the skies.  His initial intention is to go home but finds he doesn’t want to do so.  Instead, he realizes that it has been some time since he has visited his Fortress of Solitude.  In fact, since he has regained his senses he hasn’t been there, so he reroutes and stops a robbery here and there before making it to the Fortress. 

He enters the Fortress and is barely able to take a handful of steps before he hears the computerized voice of Jor-El saying,  “Activating protocol 625.12.”

Clark frowns not recognizing the protocol.  He opens his mouth to inquire as to what it is but doesn’t get the chance because some unseen force is pushing him out of the Fortress.  His eyes widen, and he struggles against what is pushing him out to no avail.  All too soon Clark finds himself outside of the Fortress.  He tries to go back inside, but a barrier meets him that is stronger than even him. 

A knot settles in Clark’s gut as he continues to try to force his way inside.  Someone has taken over the Fortress.  The things that someone could do with the technology inside of it is enough to give him chills.  He has to do something, and of course, the first person his mind thinks to go to is Batman.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She's out of my life  
> She's out of my life  
> And I don't know whether to laugh or cry  
> I don't know whether to live or die  
> \--Michael Jackson

Batman is not in the Batcave, and while that may seem like an insane thought, it was early, the afternoon had not yet started, so it wasn’t completely crazy.  It is just that the situation with Sakura-El and then the Fortress shook him badly he hadn’t given any thought about the time of day.

Superman knows better than to disturb Batman while he’s living his life as Bruce Wayne. 

But this is important and potentially world-threatening.  It was information that Bruce would want to know.  So because of that Clark Kent stands outside of Wayne Enterprises with the intention to get an _interview_. 

It is a terrible cover story.  There is nothing special going on with Wayne Enterprises for a reporter of Clark’s reputation.  Perhaps if he were Cat Grant, who writes the gossip column, he could get away with it.  However, he isn’t Cat he’s Clark, and anyone with eyes can see it. 

His legs aren’t anywhere near as great as hers, but maybe he is biased.

A voice from behind him startles him.  It shouldn’t, but there are special circumstances where things like that occur.

“And you going in or are you going to stand outside staring at the building all day?”  Clark turns around to see Bruce smiling at him, and Clark suppresses a shiver. It always bothers him to see Bruce smile.  Maybe it is because he knows that the smiles are almost always false ones. 

Clark shrugs.  “Actually, Mr. Wayne you’re the exact person I was hoping with which to speak.  Do you have time for an interview?” 

Bruce raises a brow and starts walking away from Wayne Enterprises.  Clark quickly falls into step beside him.  “That depends on what you want to ask.”

Clark debates whether or not to speak plainly.  Realizing the longer the Fortress was left in unknown hands, the bigger their problems could get he decides just to speak up albeit in low tones.

“Someone has taken over the Fortress.”

Bruce’s eyes narrow.  “What do you mean?”

“I mean as soon as I entered it initiated a code and threw me _out_.”

“What was the code?”

“625.12.”

“And do you know what that means?”

“I don’t have a clue.”

Bruce falls silent.  “Then logically it is something that was implemented while you were…under the influence.  Your best bet would be to go to your ex-wife,”  Clark finches, “and see if she knows anything about this.”

“You don’t think someone has taken over the Fortress?”  Clark would rather someone take over the Fortress than to have to go and speak to Sakura again.  That thought alone probably says a lot of bad things about him. 

“With the lives we live, Clark, it is a possibility.  However, sometimes we overthink things—and by we I mean you.”

And with that, Bruce turns on his heels and heads toward Wayne Enterprises.  He pauses for a second and looks over his shoulder at Clark. 

“If I’m wrong, though, Kent you know who to call.”

Clark inclines his head, and Bruce turns.  Clark knows he’s been dismissed.

* * *

 

 

Clark doesn’t go back to see Sakura that same day.  That would be a mistake of epic proportions.  Instead, he goes back to the Fortress and tries to get inside of it again with similar results.  Since he can’t get inside, he watches the place to see whether or not anyone enters or exits. 

The Fortress remains quiet. 

He does this for a full day before he retreats uneasily. 

* * *

 

He returns to Sakura-El’s home a week later.  He doesn’t go as Clark Kent though.  He appears as Superman.  When she opens her door and looks at him, her face immediately blanks.  He sees nothing in her visage.  Not rage nor disgust.  There is nothing but a pair of empty eyes staring at him. 

“I have not killed nor maimed anyone—although I can think of one particular person who deserves such treatment.  So to what do I owe the honor of a visit from Superman?”

There is no inflection in her voice.  It’s wooden, and he last remembers it as being closer to melodic.  Superman swallows harshly. 

“I need your help.”

Sakura blinks slowly.  Then an expression crosses her face and he believes she is seconds away from slamming the door in his face when it fades away.

“And if I do help you, what’s in it for me?”

Superman blanches.  The Man of Steel has no idea what she could want.  He has nothing to give her.  He lives off a reporter’s salary, and while he can make ends meet, he can’t throw money away.  It makes him wonder how she has been living since his return.  Does she have a job?  How is she taking care of herself?  Panic begins to claw its way to edge of his vision.

“I-um, what did you want?”  Her answering smile is sharp and edged in cruelty. 

“I want my husband back you son of a bitch.”

And then the door slams in his face.  He really should have expected that. 

* * *

 

Clark contacts Zatanna next.  He wants to know if magic is somehow being used against him and she’s the best person to confirm or deny the presence.  She isn’t happy going to the Fortress.  She’s probably not happy at the prospect of being alone with him.  Not all of the superhero community has gracefully accepted his return.  He knows there are still trust issues yet for some reason Zatanna agrees to help him.   He knows he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, but in truth, Clark’s doesn’t want to take her to the Fortress.  He doesn’t want the location of the Fortress to become common knowledge.  While it is probable that Zatanna won’t be able to figure out a way back…he doubts it.

They aren’t even there five minutes before Zatanna says, “This isn’t magic Superman.”  Clark sighs. 

“Any idea what it could be?”

Zatanna frowns before shaking her head.  “Sorry.”

Clark bows his head takes a deep breath before saying, “Thanks for coming out to take a look.”

Zatanna places a hand on his arm.  “When was the last time you were able to get in without trouble?”

“I don’t know.  Before the Kryptonite incident, I guess.”

“Do you think the Dictator has been here?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“I could—”

“No!  No magic will be used on me.”  Zatanna chuckled. 

“You know I wouldn’t harm you.” 

Clark shuddered briefly but covered it quickly.  “I know you wouldn’t.  I just don’t like magic--no offense.”

“None was taken.”  Zatanna withdrew her hand.  “Alright then if you don’t want me to use my magic then maybe you should go talk to your wife.  She’d probably know for certain.”

Clark said flatly, “I’m not married.”

Zatanna stared at him for a long moment before saying, “I’m sorry Clark.  I thought she loved you.”

“She loved the Dictator,”  _I want my husband back.  “_ And that’s not who I am.  You don’t have to be sorry about that.  I don’t regret not being him.  I regret _being_ him.”  Clark thinks of Sakura-El and wonders whether or not he’s lying.

Zatanna stares at him for several moments before wisely letting the subject go.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My all time favorite movie is 'The Princess Bride'. Sakura's line "I want my husband back you son of a bitch." was a slightly altered version of Inigo Montoya's when he said he wanted his father back.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She asked me, "Son when I grow old  
> Will you buy me a house of gold  
> And when your father turns to stone  
> Will you take care of me?"  
> \--twenty-one pilots

Sakura-El is not in the best of moods.  Depression (and anger) hover over her like a cloud.  Because, how dare he?  How dare that man to insult her intelligence, pose as a stranger and enter her home, get her hopes up only to dash them—

And then have the nerve to ask her for help. 

Rage burns bright and hot in her belly.  She wants to destroy something, _anything_ but the only thing that stops her is a knock on the door.  It draws her back into herself and the half semblance of sanity that she maintains. 

Sakura moves to the door and throws it open.  For some reason she expects Superman to be there again and she comes prepared with a snarl on her lips that falls away once she recognizes who is at the door.   Sakura’s mouth drops open and delight dances in her eyes.

“Kon!  You’re back.”  Sakura looks over Kon’s shoulder.  “Is Kara with you?” Kon shakes his head and holds his arms open, and Sakura draws him into a hug. 

“No, Mother.   Kara didn’t think it would be wise to come back just yet given the circumstances.  I came as soon as I could.”  Sakura, held tightly and securely in her son’s arms struggles not to cry.  If Kal were with them he would scold her for her behavior and then afterward would take her somewhere private so that she could shed her tears in peace.  “How are you doing?”

Sakura chuckles mirthlessly, “I should be asking you that.”

“He wasn’t my husband.”

“But he was your father.”  Kon falls silent and looks away giving Sakura all the answer she needs.

“Do you think he would want…me to continue his work?”

Sakura smiles benevolently.  “Thinking of taking over the world?”

“Kara and I could do it if you wanted.”  Sakura is well aware that those are Kara’s words coming out of Kon’s mouth.  Kon isn’t the rule the world type.  She doesn’t begrudge him that, but it did exasperate Kal quite a bit.   

“I want you and Kara to live the lives that you want.  Not the lives that Kal and I did.  Kara fits in with the Red Lanterns.  Let her stay there.  Although, I wouldn’t mind a visit.  But enough about that,” Sakura draws Kon deeper inside her apartment and into the kitchen.  “Are you hungry?”

The look on Kon’s face says a thousand words. 

* * *

 

Sakura, as the wife of Kal-El, had learned a valuable lesson early on in her marriage.  Her husband had a very healthy appetite.  So she is well aware that any food prepared for his son would not be wasted. 

Sakura watches Kon with a smile on her face as he decimates his food.  Conversation flows naturally during their meal.

“How did you make it back to Earth?”

“Bleez brought me.”

“Oh?  And has she destroyed her tormentors yet?”

“She told me if you asked that then in turn to say, have you?”  Sakura laughs uproariously before dropping the subject.  “Why are you in this place?  Dad-El had numerous places you could stay instead of here.”

Sakura nods although slightly exasperated that Kon still insists upon calling Kal, Dad-El.  She could never get the boy to explain his reasoning behind it, but a part of her suspects that it is just for general amusement.  “Yes there were many grand places that I had access to Kon, but all they did was make me feel lonely.  I don’t need much.  A bed and a roof over my head are all I need to be alright.”  Kon doesn’t look the least bit happy with her response.  Although she 's not surprised by this, so she changes the subject.  “Are you staying?” 

“For a little while,”  Kon says before reaching into his pocket and sliding a crumpled envelope across the table to Sakura.  Sakura looks down at it puzzled.

“What’s this Kon?”

Kon doesn’t immediately answer.  He looks uncomfortable and in more than a little pain.  Without thought, Sakura reaches out and lays her hand on top of his and squeezes tightly.

“Whatever it is, Kon the House of El can conquer it.”

“Unless it’s Batman.”  White hot rage surges through Sakura at the words.  The day Kal died at the hands of the Bat and her being powerless to stop it makes her want to drop everything and hunt him down until he was dead, dead _, dead_.  Sakura-El hates Batman, and she would never let go of her oath.  She cannot keep her promise to Kal.   She will not rest until he is dead.  “I’m sorry Mother.  I shouldn’t have said that.”

Sakura takes a few deep, steadying breaths.  “No, you shouldn’t have.”  Kon opens his mouth again, but Sakura holds up a single hand forestalling his words.  “Kal is dead.  Our reign has passed.  Now, how do you plan to survive on Earth if you’re staying?  They leave me alone because they believe I was coerced into a marriage with Kal.  You, on the other hand, they believe acted of your free will.  I have no desire to start a war over your freedom.”  _But I will if I have to_ goes unspoken.

“You should read the letter.”  Kon rises to his feet.  “I’ll go get settled in my room, and we’ll talk later if that’s okay?”  Sakura waves him off and reaches for the envelope and tears it open.  A gasp tears from Sakura’s throat as she reads the few words scribbled on the page.

* * *

 

_If you’re reading this Beautiful, I’m dead._

_In the event of this, I’ve prepared a safety net for you, for our family.  You’re the fucking Queen of the world, and I won’t allow the bastards of this world to take away everything from you._

_So I need you to go to the Fortress.  This letter falls into your hands at Kon’s discretion.  If he feels that you have been mistreated in any form or fashion, it is probable that protocol 625.12 has been activated.  It is essential that you go and deactivate it else the whole world will be destroyed._

_Kal_

* * *

Sakura stares at the contents of the letter for several long moments.  Protocol 625.12.  That can’t be a coincidence.  That is the day that she married Kal.  June 25th, 2012. 

Sakura doesn’t believe for a second that if she doesn’t go to the Fortress, the world will be destroyed.  That is pure manipulation tactics on Kal’s part.  Sakura’s lips quirk upward.  She loves Kal so very much.  A pang goes through her heart, but Sakura shakes it off mostly because she’s ecstatic to have some form of communication with her husband.  She will preserve the letter so that she can have it always but before that she has more important things to do. 

She bounds to her feet and goes looking for Kon.  She finds him sitting on his bed looking like he was waiting patiently for his execution.  Sakura, too excited to take note, plunges ahead with her request for her son.

“Kon, honey, I need you to take me to the Fortress.”

A sheepish look crosses Kon’s face before he says, “I can’t.”

Sakura narrows her eyes.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble, troublemaker yeah  
> That's your middle name  
> I know you're no good  
> But you're stuck in my brain  
> \--Olly Murs

Sakura slowly folds her arms across her chest and waits for the explanation that she hopes is a good one.  She loves Kon, and she would hate to have to kill him. 

“Mother, Dad-El left me a note too.” 

Sakura holds out her hand, expecting the letter to be placed in her hand immediately for inspection.  With a sigh, Kon says, “It said not to let you see it.”

Sakura, while married to Kal, had to learn the fine art of patience.  It has never been her strong point, but she likes to think that after five years of being married to Kal she has gotten better at it.  However, at that moment she doubts it. 

“What do you mean he said not to let me see it?  Why the hell would Kal tell me to go to the Fortress and cut off my means of accessing it?  Do you understand why this is a problem Kon-El?”  Kon flinches, and Sakura knows it’s because she said his full name.  Most time the usage of his full name means she is about to make it rain hellfire and damnation.  “I can’t make it there on my own…well, I probably could but that would take quite a long time and time is not something I have.  I am pretty sure that Kal left a message for me at the Fortress and if you cannot give me an alternate way to get there, then you _will_ be taking me there.  Is that understood?”

“I have an alternate way.”

Sakura blinks not expecting that piece of information at all.  Her ire cools a little. 

“Alright,” Sakura places her hands on her hips, “what is this alternate way?”

Kon then tells Sakura his brilliant plan, and then he runs.  Which is a good strategy because Sakura would have pulled Kryptonite out of thin air and killed him for his foolhardy suggestion.

* * *

 

A foolhardy suggestion that she would have to take since Kon doesn’t appear hours later as she expects.  In fact, Kon disappears for days.  She suspects he will stay away until she takes his suggestion.  If Kal were around, she’d give him a piece of her mind for his high-handed tactics. 

Sakura doesn’t have friends…well, she doesn’t have friends that weren’t villains of the Justice League.  Catwoman is an acquaintance, and Pamela Isley respects her after she used a jutsu she had learned from Yamato to restore part of a forest.  Kal didn’t particularly like it for some reason when she developed a fondness for Harley Quinn, so she limited their association out of respect for Kal.  And Talia al Ghul…well, they were friends until Sakura decides she is going to kill Batman.  That decision dissolved their friendship.  And even with all of that, she can never take any of them to the Fortress.  It was Kal’s safe haven, and he barely trusted Kon and Kara with its location.  Sakura can never conceive of telling someone else. 

* * *

 

Clark Kent, also known as Superman, isn’t that hard to track down.  In fact, it is surprisingly easy given who he is.  Sakura can argue that hiding in plain sight is a good tactic, but most of her feels like he is putting Kal’s body in danger and it makes her angry.  So before she knocks on his door, she centers her mind and focused on her purpose and not her distaste and certainly not her anger. 

Sakura knocks on the door.

It doesn’t take her long to receive an answer, and when she does, it isn’t Clark Kent that Sakura sees.  Rather it’s a leggy brunette who recognizes her on sight.  Unfortunately for Sakura, she recognizes her as well.

Sakura pastes a thin fake smile on her face on her lips that is met with a curl of the lips that is more a sneer than a smile by Lois Lane. 

“What a pleasure it is to finally meet you, Ms. Lane.”

“I wish I could say the same.”  Sakura manages to keep her eye from twitching.  She does not like Lois Lane for so many reasons she can write a book about them.  Although Sakura will admit that most of the reasons have to do with jealousy.  Kal told her that before he became the Dictator that as Superman he had romantic entanglements with this woman.  He would have made her his Queen, but she refused it and tried to appeal to his ‘good side.’   She was also the only person who could report _anything_ good or bad about the Dictator and not have to fear for her life.

“Kent; you have a visitor.”  Lois then pushes by her but pauses on her way out.  “I know you’re not the goody two shoes you pretend to be _Sakura-El._ ”

“Good.”  Sakura’s fingers twitch using a jutsu to ensure her next words remain for Lois’ ears only.  “Then you aren’t quite as stupid as you look.”  And with a dismissive gesture of her hand, Sakura enters Clark’s apartment and firmly closes the door behind her to find Clark Kent staring at her stunned.  Sakura regards him for a long moment waiting to see if he were seconds away from throwing her out on her ear (or at least attempting to.)  When he makes no move in that direction, Sakura walks inside his home and looks around silently appraising. 

She notes that his home is similar to hers in its simplicity.  In a sense, she didn’t disapprove, but it is just another nail in the coffin stating that Kal is gone.  She moves past Kent and settles herself on his sofa legs crossed at the ankle, back straight, and eyes calm.  He moves to sit across from her reminiscent of a time earlier in their acquaintance. 

“Are you here to continue the interview?”  Kent finally ventures. 

“Mr. Kent I’d like to make a compromise.”

“How so?”

“You came to me before seeking assistance.  Is that something you still require?”

“I-um, yes.”

Sakura nods.  “I need assistance as well.  In exchange for your help, I’m willing to provide my own.”

It is then that Superman starts to grow cautious.  “What is it that you want?”  Sakura feels her lips twitch because he should have been suspicious the moment she showed up at his door.  Sakura is starting to believe that Superman is a bit naïve. 

“I have your word that the nature of visit stays between the two of us?”

“If you are doing something illegal…”

“Define illegal,” Sakura demands because she doesn’t know the status of Kon’s potential safety within the world.  After Kal’s death, everyone has been focused on her—especially since Kara and Kon were off planet at the time of his death.  Sakura silently thought that was part of the Batman’s plan in the first place.  He had no desire to take on Kal, Kara, Kon, and her (although she is sure Batman didn’t know then that she was even a contender).  It wouldn’t have ended well for him.

Kon acted of his own free will ‘unlike Kal’ who was ‘under the influence’ of a newly found Kryptonite.  Sakura barely manages to keep from rolling her eyes at that.  She learns later that Kal’s state of mind is the result of exposure to a particular kind of Kryptonite on a mission with the Justice League.  Unlike other forms of Kryptonite, the effects did not wear off once he was a safe distance away from it.  No…to reverse the effects required something else.  Sakura forces her mind not to go back to _that day_ and focus on her son _._

Kon hadn’t done much to the general populace, he had done some, and that was enough.  Enough for her to worry about his safety in this world.  She will send him back to Kara if she thinks for a second that he isn’t safe.  She doesn’t know how she will do it but come hell or high water she will manage it.

There is a long moment of silence where the two look at each other weighing the pros and cons of the conversation. 

“Have you done anything to cause harm to someone?”

“No.”

“Then whatever you say will remain between us.”

“And do I have your word on that?”

“I’m not the type of man to make an offer if I’m not willing to uphold my end of the deal.”

Sakura shrugs.  “You’ll have to forgive me, Mr. Kent,” he flinches for some reason that Sakura doesn’t understand.  “I don’t have many dealings with people whose word means anything.”  Sakura pointedly doesn’t say present company included.

“I mean what I say.”  Sakura can’t say why but for some reason she trusts him.  So with a small sigh, Sakura relents.

“My son came home recently.”

_“You have a son!”_

Superman screeches like a scandalized virgin.  Sakura’s lips twitch.  “I’m sure in your research of my life you’ve heard of Kon-El.”

Kon, the genetically engineered clone of Superman.  Kon who was held captive and manipulated by Cadmus, the same organization that had tortured her for a year.  Kal had wanted to destroy the group before merely because she wanted to, but with the discovery of Kon…if Sakura didn’t have a silver tongue she developed one then. Sakura and Kal had been unable to conceive, and Sakura had been more than willing to take the boy as her own.  In the future, Sakura thought it was entirely possible for them to develop a child that they could raise from infancy with both their DNA.  As much as she wanted Cadmus destroyed, back then, they were worth keeping around for that one fact.

Kent clears his throat.  “I hardly think—“

Sakura cuts off his words before he says something she will make him regret.  “He came home, and he brought me a letter from Kal that he wrote before his death.” That makes Kent’s mouth snap shut.  “Because of that letter, I think it would best if I make sure that my husband hasn’t done anything…unfortunate. So I need you to take me to the Fortress.”

Sakura stares at Clark’s face that is like an open book and can only think two things:

_He knows._

_and_

_Oh, Kal.  You’re such a troublemaker._

 

 

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know I don't know you  
> But I want you so bad  
> Everyone has a secret   
> Oh, can they keep it?  
> Oh no, they can't  
> \--Maroon 5

Flying in Superman’s arms is not something Sakura ever considered a possibility.  She does not like it because she’s not comfortable with him.  Everything about the two of them is stilted and disjointed.  But she does it because she has to.   She has to know what Kal did to the Fortress.  She has to see his last bit of wickedness.  She needs this one bit of closeness to him before she accepts that she has lost her husband for good.  She supposes that getting a note from him had brought up things that she thought she was in the process of successfully burying but Kal had a way of unearthing things that were better left dead and gone. 

Surprisingly Superman does not bother to attempt further conversation between them for which Sakura is silently grateful because her mind is going a mile a minute. 

The temperature drops the closer they get to the Fortress.  Superman stops a distance away from the crystal palace. 

“Why are we landing here?”  Sakura tosses a confused look Superman’s way.

“This is as close as I can get.”  Sakura doesn’t understand immediately, so she just stares.  “The Fortress…threw me out somehow.”

Sakura shakes her head slowly.  “That makes no sense.”

“I know!”  The outburst makes Sakura blink slowly before she asks calmly, “Why did you bring me here if we can’t go inside?”

“Because I wondered if it was possible if you could.”

Sakura pauses, turns her head, and looks at the Fortress before nodding her head.  Sakura has no idea how Kal had managed to lock his body out, but she didn't doubt that he had. 

“I’ll try.”  Without further ado, Sakura started walking towards the Fortress of Solitude.  Her mind didn’t note that nothing impeded her approach until she reached the entrance.

* * *

 

Superman watches astounded as Sakura-El took one step and then another closer and closer to his Fortress.  There is no barrier for her, and while this is what Superman wanted, he suddenly feels the need to stop her progress.  This could be a trap she concocted with her husband just in case Superman showed up here with her.  And while Sakura-El seemed like an innocent woman who merely loved her husband, people did crazy things for the one they loved. 

He shouts her name, but Superman doesn’t even see her twitch in response.  Either she couldn’t hear him because of the barrier, or she is a great actress.  Clark feels his heart begin to pound as he debates whether or not to leave and get help or stay and wait.  Things can go horribly wrong any second--especially since the author doesn’t know whether or not she prefers evil Superman to good Superman in this story.  Just that piece of information alone sets Clark on edge.  But he doesn’t go for backup.  He wants to trust Sakura-El.  He is trying to give her the benefit of the doubt.  He doesn’t think of why _(because he hurt her)_ that is.  Instead, he stands and waits for her return.

* * *

  
When Sakura reaches the door, she freezes momentarily.  The doors to the Fortress are not easy to get inside.  In fact, only someone with super strength could do so.  Sakura can easily open the doors, but Clark doesn’t know that, and it isn’t something she wants to tell him.  She doesn’t trust him to know what she can and can’t do.  She hadn’t even said anything to Kal in the beginning, and even then he hadn’t wanted her to tell anyone else.  He wanted her to appear perfectly innocent so that his enemies would underestimate her importance.  It was for her safety, and somehow she knew that if Clark knew, then soon the entire Justice League would know—and that wouldn’t be good.  It would call into question a lot of things.  For instance, there will be those that question how deep into Kal’s organization her fingertips dipped in.  No one knew that nor did they know what she had become for Kal. 

She was his showpiece wife.  She was the good cop to his bad one.  He showcased his ideas to her for approval.  She was also his—well, Kal called Sakura a lot of things.  Mostly he called her beautiful in English as well as Kryptonian.  Sakura had learned to respond to both.  But the thing he called her almost as frequently as that was his Little Assassin.  After she had dispatched those minions that tried to kill Kal in her home, she had started a long hard campaign for Kal to allow her to watch his back.  He had persisted in his nonsense about him not wanting her to get her hands dirty, and for the most part, she listened to him.  But when Sakura saw a threat coming that posed too much of a threat to Kal she merely took care of it.  She had taken pains to hide it, but Kal wasn’t stupid.  He knew what she was doing, and he didn’t stop her.  She assumed that meant it was okay.

But Kal had to know she would need to show her abilities to get in.  He would know what type of danger it would put her in.  He would have a plan in place for this.  He wouldn’t leave her unprotected. 

Sakura closes her eyes and bows her head for a moment forcing herself to relax and trust her husband as she had always done.

* * *

 

Superman realizes a moment too late that even if Sakura-El could reach the Fortress, she couldn’t get in. As his brain formulates that thought, she pushes open the doors _with her bare hands_.    At first, he just refuses to understand.  She couldn’t have possibly opened the doors by herself.  The strength required of such a feat is not inconsequential.  That can only mean one thing.

She is superhuman.

How did this information go unknown for so long?  Or is it known and no one had thought to tell him assuming he’d just know?  No, that isn’t something, at the very least, that Batman would do.  No one could have known.  But if that is the case, then what does anyone know of Sakura-El, beloved wife of the Dictator?

With a tight feeling in his gut, he realized that the answer is, ‘Nothing.’

* * *

 

For Sakura, walking into the Fortress is akin to coming home.  A knot that she hadn’t been aware of in her chest unravels as she takes step after step inside.  Her footsteps become lighter as she goes and checks on Kryptonian animals Kal kept.  After she is assured of their general health, Sakura muses on the past.   She spent a lot of time in the Fortress with Kal doing any number of things like plotting, planning, and making love.

The deeper she goes inside, the more she feels like at any second she will turn a corner, and he’d be there with an arrogantly sexy smirk on his face. He’d take her in his arms and tell her--

 Slowly she makes her way into the room where the central computers were.  Before she can issue any commands, the computer speaks, “Welcome home Sakura-El.”

Sakura’s reply is immediate, “Thank you, Computer.” 

“You are very welcome.  How may I assist you today?”

The happiness that had started to flourish in Sakura’s chest dims.  She isn’t there to relive fond memories.  She isn’t there because she is coming home.  She is there to figure out what Kal had done and why and then she will leave this place probably never to return. 

Sakura closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. 

“Computer, can you tell me why Superman may no longer enter the Fortress?”

There is a pause.  “Is your inquiry about protocol 625.12?”

“Yes, computer.”

There was another pause before Sakura heard, “Initializing….”

And then Sakura blinks once.  She blinks twice, and then there he is standing before her as if he had never left her side.  His lips are quirked slightly as he says, “Welcome home, Beautiful.”

Sakura gasps, and then tears filled her eyes as she cries out, “ _Kal!”_


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the words of a broken heart  
> It's just emotion that's taken me over  
> Tied up in sorrow, lost in my soul  
> But if you don't come back  
> Come home to me, darling  
> You know that there'll be nobody left in this world to hold me tight  
> Nobody left in this world to kiss goodnight   
> \--The BeeGees  
> \--Destiny's Child  
> \--& Others

Sakura couldn’t stop herself if she tried.  At that moment all she can see is Kal standing there before her and she knows.

She knows where she belongs and where she wants to be.  She realizes what she’s been missing, and he’s standing before her.  Her husband, the extension of herself that she had been cut off from.  Her Kal.

It is with these thoughts in mind that the kunoichi runs to her husband with every intention of throwing herself into his arms, holding tightly, and never letting go again.  But that isn’t what happens because this isn’t a fairy tale.  Sakura knows, and so does Kal, that happily ever after doesn’t exist—not for people like them.    But Sakura wasn’t thinking clearly because grief sometimes does that to you.

When Sakura expects to feel a firm chest against her, and warm arms wrap around her, there is nothing but air.  In fact, Sakura runs right through Kal.  She has a moment of bewildered puzzlement before she realizes that the Kal that her eyes had seen isn’t real. Her body slowly turns and looks at the mirage that is her Kal-El.  Slowly she reaches out her hand again, and it passes through him.  His blue eyes are stormy as if he knows what she’s thinking, what she’s feeling but he doesn’t because he’s not alive.

Devastation is followed closely by despair, and Sakura lets out a broken wail.  Sakura’s body lowers to a crouch on the ground, and her shoulders shake as the anguish of grief overtake her.  She doesn’t know how long she cries, but Sakura stops the moment she feels a hand cup her face.  She gasps and her eyes snap open to see Kal staring at her.  His thumb brushes away her tears, and he hums a song softly that soothes her until the well of her tears dry.

Arms pull her close and wrap around her, holding her tight.  And though Sakura knows that this isn’t her Kal that this is probably one of his robots that maintained the place in her absence wearing his face she appreciates the gesture. 

“I’m angry at you Kal, but I miss you so much.”

He doesn’t respond, and eventually, Sakura decides it’s time to be a big girl and pulls away.  She pretends she isn’t in the middle of a mini-meltdown and focused on the business at hand.  She brushes at her clothes and discreetly wipes her eyes before she places her hands on her hips. 

“So, what did you do Kal?  Why all this fuss?  Did you just want to fuck with his head?”

Kal laughs and says, “Yes.” Sakura narrows her eyes because she is not amused.  Well, she is a little, but mostly she isn’t. “But a bit more than that.  You wouldn’t love me if I were one-dimensional.”  That is probably true, but Sakura isn’t going to count any of the ways she loves Kal—even if he is just some sort of program that he concocted while he was alive.  She’d have to remember to ask him about that.

“Did you know this was going to happen?  Did you know that one day you were going to leave me?”

The program of Kal pauses before it responds with, “Yes.”

Sakura’s fists clench.  The sting of betrayal is almost as bad as the loss of him.   “How dare you Kal!  How could you do this to me?  You have me waxing philosophical about how great a husband you were—“

“I am a great husband.”

“And all this time you knew you were going to abandon me—“

“I didn’t abandon you.”

“And leave me in this godforsaken world all alone—“

“Silence!”  Sakura abruptly stops talking and looks at Kal belligerently.  He had the nerve to chuckle before saying, “Now listen.”  Sakura folds her arms across her chest and nods curtly. “Yes, I knew this was going to happen, but I didn’t abandon you.  I would never abandon you Sakura.” Sakura turns her head away from him, but a robotic Kal reaches out a hand and turns her to face him once more.  “You’re everything.  I don’t give a damn if this world burns to the ground—as long as you’re not on it when it happens.  Being the ruler of this world was a passing fancy until you came into my life.  Hell, if you hadn’t come along when you did I would have destroyed them all.”

Sakura blinks shocked.  She hadn’t known this.  Kal hadn’t deigned to tell her. 

“Why would my presence change such a thing?  You still could have destroyed them.  I wouldn’t have tried to stop you if you had only taken me with you.”

“I know.  That’s why I thought the world should be your footstool.  That’s why if I had been given the time the multiverse would have been yours.”  Sakura knew a little about the multiverse.  Kal had defeated a counterpart of his called Ultraman who came to conquer their world.  Kal had sent him home with his tail tucked between his legs. 

“…You would have conquered the entire multiverse just for me?” Kal gives her a curt nod.  “You say the sweetest things.”  Kal just laughs, and Sakura basks in the sound. 

“I miss you,”  Sakura says again because she has been saying it in her head ever since he died and she wants to say it out loud.

“I’m not gone, Sakura.”

“Don’t tell me that.  You are gone!  My bed is cold and empty because there’s no you.  There’s no us!  _Kal,_ tell me what to do to get you back.”

“Why?  So things can end up as they are now in a few years’ time?”

Sakura gasps.  “No.  You don’t get to talk like that.  I will not accept a defeatist attitude—not from you.  I know what you’re capable of.  I know what the two of us can do _together.”_

“It’s not a defeatist attitude Sakura.  It’s looking at the world from a different perspective which is something I know you can do.  You adjust swiftly and will continue to do so.”

“So, I’m just supposed to _adapt_ to your death?”  Sakura snarls at the robot Kal wanting to rip it apart but at the same time not daring to. 

“I’m not dead, Sakura.”

“The hell you aren’t!  I saw it happen with my own two eyes.  The Batman killed you, and I swear Kal I will--”

“You will not.”

Sakura turns her back on Kal and would have walked out, but suddenly Kal is in front of her.  She knows it’s not the robot and just a projection because the robots don’t move that fast.   She would’ve walked right through him anyway if he hadn’t thrown her the world’s biggest curve ball.

“The reason Superman can’t get into the Fortress is that it no longer belongs to him.”

Sakura pauses and then shakes her head in confusion.  “I don’t understand.  Did you give the Fortress away?  Why would you do such a thing?”

“I did no such thing.  He did.”

Sakura snorts.  “If he knew that then why would he drag me all the way here?”

“I never said he knew.  I said he did it.”  Those were words that meant nothing but trouble to Sakura-El. 

“Kal!  What did you do?”

“I programmed the computer so that if there were any mention in the media that Superman had gotten a divorce, then all authority to the Fortress would revert to you.  Everything of mine is yours.  The Fortress, the children,”  and by that he meant Kara and Kon “the dog,”  Krypto “the money—they’re all yours.  You may do whatever you wish with them—except give them back to Superman.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, the concept of this chapter came from a song. I don't remember what it was as it wasn't a song I was particularly fond of (nor do I care to find out what it was) but I remember the lyrics, "So I'm taking the house, the cars, the kids, and the dog."
> 
> Kal gave it all to Sakura. 8D She's so spoiled.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's a real nowhere man  
> Sitting in his nowhere land  
> Making all his nowhere plans  
> For Nobody  
> \--The Beatles

The grin on his face can only be described as ‘shit-eating’.  Kal is gone but he had gotten his farewell ‘fuck you.’  She should have expected something like this.  Kal was known for his forethought and planning.  By his own account he even preemptively knew of his impending death. 

“The Fortress is mine?”  Sakura says dumbly trying to absorb the information but is having difficulty processing. 

“All yours, Beautiful.”

Sakura is well aware that this is probably not a good thing.  Sure, she can get back and forth to the Fortress from Metropolis by herself but it would take time that she really didn’t want to waste.  She will probably never come back here again.  Well, she wouldn’t have if she didn’t have to take care of Krypto and the other creatures within the Fortress that Kal left behind.   Sakura is irritated but Kal looks so pleased that a chuckle escapes her.

“You are one evil son of a bitch.”

He gives her a mocking bow.  “Why, thank you.”

Sakura can’t take it any longer.   Peals of mirth escape her causing her to collapse onto the ground. 

❀✿❀

 

Once Sakura finally composes herself she tosses Kal a droll look. “I suppose even in death you continue to throw me for a loop.”  Kal doesn’t reply.  “Alright so what do you want me to do with the Fortress?  You must have some sort of plan for it.”

The projection of Kal is once again over the robot and he takes her face in his hands.

“You have not been doing well.”

Sakura rolls her eyes.  “It’s call grief, Kal.”

“Yes, but you’re worse than I would’ve thought.”  Sakura opens her mouth to make a scathing retort but he beats her to it.  “This has to end, Sakura.  Are you eating?”

“Of course I’m eating!”  Sakura guiltily snaps. 

“Three meals a day with snacks in between?”  Sakura hates more than ever that Kal knew about her medic status.  She hates when he uses it against her.  So she remains stonily silent.  “Have you been sleeping?”  Again Sakura doesn’t answer.  “Grief is one thing, Sakura.  Slowly killing yourself is another.  This ends now.”

A surge of emotion swells within her.  Suddenly, her chest is heaving and her fists are clenched. 

“You can’t bully me into happiness!”

“No, but I’ll try my damnedest.”

It is such a Kal statement that Sakura can only huff.   “This isn’t about me.  This is about the Fortress and what you want me to do with it.”

“You honestly think that this has nothing to do with you?  I was eliminated from the picture, from your life, and then he took the one good thing we had and threw you out in the cold to fend for yourself—which you’re doing a terrible job of.”

“I can take care of myself!” 

“You shouldn’t have to!  He left you unprotected!”  Kal roars. “And I will do what I must to fix it.”  Sakura stares at him in mute surprise at his vehemence.  “So what you’re going to do is marry Superman.”

Sakura doesn’t think she hears him correctly so she asks Kal to repeat himself.  “You are going to marry Superman.”  Apparently she _did_ hear him correctly and he is nuttier than they said he was.

“The hell you say!” 

“Sakura,”  Kal growls. 

“No.  Absolutely not.  What is wrong with you?  Is there a glitch in the program? Because you cannot be serious about this.”

“I am dead serious.”

Sakura waits for a second then asks, “Are you being punny?” 

Kal just gives her a hard stare and Sakura snorts.

“Look Kal, he doesn’t want me.  I don’t want him.  He’s not the man I married.”  Sakura ignores the disbelieving look Kal gives her.  “We don’t mesh so it won’t work out.  There’s no point in continuing this conversation.  Can we move on now? ”

“He _is_ the man you married.  He is me.  We’re the same person Sakura and you know it.”

“Oh yeah?  So you were planning on divorcing and publically humiliating me?”

Kal’s robotic hands ball into fists. 

“You know better.”

“Yes, Kal.  I do.  That’s why I married you and not him.”

✿❀✿

 

  
Clark stands outside for so long he begins to wonder if Sakura-El is ever going to come out.  He takes a hesitant step forward and realizes that the barrier that had been holding him back was gone.  Clark’s eyes widen in shock.

She's done it!  She figured out what is wrong with the Fortress and gained him access once more.  Quickly Clark flies to the doors and lets himself in.  His eyes scan the area looking for any sign of his former wife.  He finds none, so of course, he goes to search for her. 

The scene he stumbles upon stuns him. 

Sakura-El is in the arms of an image of him, one of his robots he can tell with brief use of his x-ray vision.  They sway back and forth to a Kryptonian song about a lost bird that finds a home among predators.  In the end, the predators kill the bird but it evolves into one of the predators becoming the fiercest among them all.

It is an odd song to slow dance to.  Superman begins to wonder if Sakura-El is insane.  When she disentangles herself, turns to him, and gives him a look of happiness that he hasn’t ever seen on her, he wonders if it matters.

She walks over to him and Clark notices the robot him raises a hand and makes a slicing motion at its throat with its hand and then points at him.  Clarks eyes widen. 

Has he just been threatened?

When the robot sneers he decides that yes.  Yes, he has been.

Clark focuses his attention on Sakura.  She places her hands on her hips and looks up at him.  Her green eyes study him intensely.  She doesn’t say anything and for some reason her silence makes him uncomfortable so he sought to end it.

“Did you figure out what happened?”

“Yes,”  she says but doesn’t elaborate.

“Care to share?”  Clark prods. 

There’s a considering look on her face when she says, “You can’t get into the Fortress because you gave it to me.”

Clark reconsiders whether or not Sakura-El’s sanity is an important issue because he would definitely remember giving the Fortress to his ex-wife.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People like us  
> Know how to survive  
> There's no point in living  
> If you can't feel the life  
> We know when to kiss  
> And we know when to kill  
> If we can't have it all  
> Then nobody will   
> \--Garbage

“I think I would remember giving you the Fortress.”

Sakura nods at him and says, “I suppose I should correct myself then.  Kal gave me the Fortress.”  Clark’s eyes narrow, and he is seconds away from making a few accusations, but Sakura continues talking.  “He set up the Fortress so that if there is ever any mention in the media of a divorce between the two of us, then I get everything he valued.  It’s typical divorce proceedings for your world if there is no prenuptial agreement—well, no.  I guess there _is_ an agreement in place if I got everything.  I just didn’t know about it.”

Clark stares at her stunned.  Of all the explanations this is one that he has not even come close to expecting.  It shouldn’t still surprise him this much how much the Dictator had loved his wife.  It definitely shouldn’t surprise him that she loved the evil bastard so much that she would slow dance with a robot image of him.

“Can you give it back?”

Sakura opens her mouth to reply, but the robot Dictator answers in her stead.  “No.  You will not take another damned thing away from her.  Now get the fuck out.”

Clark hears Sakura sigh.

“How is he here?  How did he do this?”  He directs the question at Sakura, but the answer comes to him as soon as it left his lips.  “Jor-El.”  His father.  This is how his father communicated to him telling him where he comes from—although he didn’t use the robots.  No, that is an idea that ultimately belongs to the Dictator.

“Look Sakura; he’s not as dumb as he looks.”  He watches as Sakura bites her bottom lip and avoids eye contact with him.  Instinctively he knows she is laughing at him.  He moves to stop the playback but when he takes a step toward the controls the force field that blocked him out of the Fortress keeps him from stepping forward.  Sakura-El’s eyes widen, and a grin stretches across the faux-Dictator’s face.  Sakura throws her hands up in the air and says, “Really Kal?  Really?”  The Dictator remains largely unrepentant.

“Hush and let me talk to him.”  Surprisingly enough silence falls.  “As of right now I can’t give the Fortress back.  I don’t know how.”  She holds up a finger when the Dictator’s projection looks like it would speak.  “And even if I could, at this point, I wouldn’t.”

“I—“  This time Sakura points her finger at Clark silencing his words. 

“No.  I need some time to think.  All of this—it’s a lot.  And I’m not making a snap decision about this.  Kal gave me the Fortress for a reason.  I have to respect that.  And frankly, Superman, you do too.  You may want to pretend that you have no links to me, but you do—me having access to the Fortress is proof of that.  So I’m asking you politely to give me time and space.  I’m pretty sure we both need it right now.”

She is right.  He can’t argue with her, so he curtly nods his head and disappears from her sight.

❀✿❀

 

There is no one he can go and talk to about this.  He still has a lot of fences to mend even though he  never set out to hurt anyone.  It is his body that hurt a lot of people and trust, especially broken trust, has to be earned.  Being alone is not a pleasant feeling.

✿✿❀

 

Once Superman left, the Kal-bot tells her to think about his words and then act on them.  Sakura doesn’t agree, but she did tell Kal she will think about it. 

Sakura is still in the Fortress when a beep alerts her to an incoming transmission.  Sakura goes to the screen, selects a few buttons, and before she knows it, Kara is on the screen in front of her.  Sakura’s eyes widen in surprise. 

“Kara!  How are you?”

“I think the better question is, how are _you?_ ”

“I’m—“

Kara rolls her eyes and cuts her off, “You’re not fine.  I told Kal that I’d come and kill his body if this happened and you wanted it.  So I’m putting the offer on the table for you.”

Sakura chuckles.  “I don’t want Superman dead.”  Kara opens her mouth to argue, but Sakura continues.  “I want Batman dead.”  Kara’s mouth snaps shut.  “And that is something that I want the pleasure of all to myself.”

“I can understand that.  Still, do you need me to come home?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea right now.  Besides, Conner is here and so is Krypto.  I’ll manage.”

“You can do better than manage.  Don’t let Superman’s stupidity at letting you go, get you down.  And if you want I can scourge the universe for more of that Kryptonite and bring Kal back.”

Sakura’s breath hitches, and she wavers.  It is a tempting offer, but that isn’t what Kal wanted. 

“No, thank you, Kara.  Don’t go out of your way but,”  Sakura’s mind races.  “But if by chance you find some bring it back home when you can.”

“That I can do.  Take care of yourself.”

“And while you’re out there live up to your potential and conquer a few worlds.”

“I’d rather destroy them.”

“Long-term, conquering is more satisfying.”

“Agree to disagree?”

Sakura laughs.  “Yeah.”  Sakura sobers.  “Kara, did Kal by any chance tell you that if he died, he wanted me to start a relationship with Superman?”

Kara scowls.  “He told me that bull shit, but Superman is _not_ like us.  You’d be setting yourself up for a whole lot of trouble.”

Maybe she will be, but if it is too bad, well, Kara is willing to look for the Kryptonite. 

“I know, Kara.”

“Just…leave Earth.  I’ll come for you and Kon.  We’ll stick together.  Hell, we’ll even fulfill Kal’s dream if you want.”

“There’s no point in that if he’s not around to see it.  Besides, you’d rather destroy worlds, remember?  I don’t want you to be unhappy.”

“Some world is bound to have an uprising.  I can destroy it as an example to the masses.”

Sakura laughs.  “Really Kara?  Sometimes you’re just as bad as Kal.”

 “We are related.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna love you forever  
> Forever and ever Amen  
> \--Randy Travis

A week later and Sakura is still in the Fortress.  Her reasons are entirely selfish.  She wants to stay with the Kal that she knows.  She wants to talk to him, laugh with him, see him and occasionally touch him.  It’s not a healthy desire.  She knows that.  She thought she had been making good progress in moving on with her life without him but maybe not.  Either way, Kal isn’t happy with her.

“You must leave and go to him Sakura.”

“Why?”  It is a circular argument that they keep having, but today Sakura decides to veer the course of it.  Before Kal can reply to her question, she says, “Kara offered to find more of the Kryptonite that makes you who you are.”

Kal holds up a hand.  “If you bring me back Sakura it will only be a matter of time before someone reverses the situation.”

“This time I’ll kill Batman.”

“And you know how I feel about you bloodying your hands.”

“If it’s for you it doesn’t matter.”

“And if it isn’t Batman it will be someone else—perhaps even Conner.  Would you have it in you to kill him too?”

Sakura’s mouth drops open, and she splutters for a moment before jumping hotly to Conner’s defense.  “Conner would never betray us like that!  How could you possibly think—“

“Conner is predominately good.  Just like I am predominantly evil.  In the end, if it hadn’t been Batman it would have been Conner.  Could you kill him?  Conner, who I know you think of as a son?  Who _is_ your son?  You weren’t meant to live this life Sakura.  This world twisted you into something else, and I took advantage of that.  I made you mine—and by doing so, I made you my responsibility.  I protect what belongs to me.”

Sakura turns away from Kal’s projection.  There was no use arguing that she could take care of herself.  She and Kal had never seen eye to eye on that subject.    “I need to know you are being cared for Sakura.  I need to know you are safe.  He can give you that safety.”

“I don’t love him.”

“Then don’t love him.”

Sakura whirls around and faces Kal-bot.  “What?”

“Did you love me in the beginning?”

A bark of laughter escapes her.  “No, but you fascinated me.”

“And he does not?”  Sakura bites her lip and doesn’t reply.  “Do you remember what I told you the day we met?  Those Kryptonian words that you dogged me about their meaning until I finally told you what they meant?”  Sakura nods.  “What did they mean?”

“You will be my beloved, and I will cherish you forever.”

“Forever Sakura.  Even like this, you are wanted, you are cherished.  Stand at my side where you belong.  I may be different, but I am still me, and you are still mine.  Don’t you think you should fight for us?”  Sakura’s bottom lip trembles.  “I only ask that you try.”  Sakura crumbles as she often did when Kal was reasonable and not a domineering jerk.  She hated and loved this side of him the most.

“Alright, Kal.  I’ll try.” When Sakura sees the smile make its way to Kal’s lips she says, “I’m not making any other promises but that.  If it doesn’t work out, then I expect you to give him back his Fortress Kal.  I don’t want him coming and bothering me about again.”

“I’ll consider it.”

Sakura scowls and knows that’s the best she’s going to get.  She’ll take it.

۞۞۞

Sakura returns to Metropolis, but she brings Krypto with her.  She has no problem hidings the dog’s massive size, and she figures he will be the best way to get her to and from the Fortress if need be.  Besides—she loved the dog and missed him.

Krypto and Sakura were walking in the park which was something that simultaneously pleases and displeases Sakura.  She hates putting a leash on Krypto and Krypto isn’t too fond of it either, but he doesn’t complain, so Sakura grins and bears it as well—although she holds the leash very loosely until she hears Krypto growl in warning.  Sakura looks around and finds a familiar male was approaching her.  She narrows her eyes trying to remember where she knows him from.  When he stops in front of her it comes to her then.

Sakura extends a hand, and Mr. Wayne clasps it in his and raises it to his lips.  “Sakura-El, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Sakura smiles slightly.  “The same to you Mr. Wayne.”  Sakura intends to skirt around him and keep going, but he inquires, “You have a dog?”  Krypto growls again warningly and to Sakura Krypto, in some ways, is just as bad as Kal.

“I do.”

“What’s his name?”

Sakura senses scream at her warningly, and for some reason, she says, “We’re going with Dog.”  Krypto turns his head and looks at her dubiously.  Sakura forces herself not to laugh.

“Dog?”  Bruce Wayne inquires.

“He quite likes it,”  Sakura says straight-faced.  She ignores Krypto’s look.

“Ok, then.  I noticed you out and about and wanted to know if you wanted to get lunch.”

Sakura smiles politely and firmly before saying, “No, thank you, Mr. Wayne, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Raincheck, then?”

Bruce Wayne is a very handsome man, but Sakura doesn’t want to give him the wrong idea.  She made  a promise to Kal and she would keep it.  The only man in her life besides her son would be Clark Kent. “I don’t think that would be best of ideas, Mr. Wayne.”

“Still in mourning?”

Sakura’s lips quirk slightly thinking about Kal-bot back at the Fortress before saying, “Something like that.”

Bruce smiles at her, and it rings false in Sakura’s mind.  “Ah, someone else, then.”

Sakura doesn’t answer instead she looks down at Krypto and says, “Come on Dog.  Let’s go.”

Krypto huffs but walks along with Sakura.  Sakura keeps walking until she can’t see Bruce anymore then stops, leans down and wraps her arms around Krypto’s neck.  “Sorry, Krypto but something about that man gives me the creeps.”  Krypto’s cold nose touches her neck, and she squeals a little before pulling back and looking at him questioningly. 

“What are we going to do about your Master?”

Krypto whines and Sakura shares his sentiments.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You ain't nothing but a hound dog  
> Scratching all the time  
> You ain't caught no rabbits  
> You ain't no friend of mine  
> \--Elvis Presley & Big Mama Thornton

In the end, Sakura doesn’t have to come up with any plan as to see Clark Kent again.  He comes to her. 

Sakura watches as Krypto lifts his head and turns to the door cluing Sakura in as to a visitor.   Sakura waits, and eventually, there is a knock at the door.  She isn’t expecting visitors, so her mind immediately jumps to Kon, but her son has a key so there would be no need for him to knock.    Krypto doesn’t move which clues her in that whoever is at her door is friendly.  He perches on her sofa as if he owns it.  He is a huge dog, but Krypto manages to leave a little room for her to come back and snuggle into him.  With no heat in her voice, she says to Krypto, “I should make you move.”

Krypto gives her a look that says:  _You can try._

Sakura snorts and opens the door surprised to see Clark Kent before her.  The filter in Sakura’s brain shorts out, so she asks bluntly, “What are you doing here?”

He blushes, and Sakura is amazed.  She has never seen that face blush before.  Kal didn’t know what embarrassment is and yet now it is a thing that Sakura suddenly finds appealing.

“I wanted to…talk.”  Sakura waits for a moment before stepping to the side and allowing him to enter.  Clark moves inside cautiously as if she will try to attack him if he shows her his back.   It irritates her and the very thing he expects her to do she wants to do.

She closes the door and walks deeper inside and takes her spot next to Krypto who looks unimpressed by Clark’s arrival.

“Krypto?”  He sounds a bit incredulous, and Sakura wonders why.  It isn’t like Krypto’s existence is new to her.  “What are you doing here?  Come here.”  Clark reaches for the dog, and Krypto growls startling the man. 

Sakura sighs and sits down next to the dog.  “For goodness sakes!  He’s not taking you Krypto.  He’s just asking for a greeting.  You’re my dog.”

“He’s _my_ dog.”  Clark counters and Sakura snorts.

“Tell him that.”

Clark turns and looks at Krypto who doesn’t seem inclined to move. Well, he does shift his position so that his head is lying in Sakura’s lap.  A glance at Sakura’s face shows her amusement.  Clark doesn’t share the sentiment. 

✿❀❀❀❀

As Clark watches Krypto with Sakura, it further cements just how much he has lost.  The only member of the League that he is on somewhat good terms with is Batman, and that is saying a lot. 

Lois isn’t exactly happy with his return.  His cover story for his disappearance is that he had been captured by Kal-El while trying to get a story.   The Dictator didn’t kill him because for some reason he wanted him alive.  Lois hadn’t felt he should have tried to get a scoop on his own.   He is apparently not ready for such behavior.  She sympathized with him as much as Lois could but…there is a distance between them that hadn’t been there before it all began. 

Although, the primary problem  Lois has with him is that a lot of people assume that the only reason she had been allowed to write articles about the Dictator is that she knew Clark had been captured.  The rumor is that the Dictator had been using Clark against her and had been using the man as a threat to keep her articles about him from being too harsh.  Why anyone thought that at all is ridiculous.  From what he learned the only soft spot Kal had is for his wife.

So he has lost the League.  He’s lost Lois. 

Krypto's defection is a crippling blow.  To see him sitting with Sakura-El as if he belonged to her instead of him—

Clark is tempted just to walk out.  He would have if there weren't a noise at the door.  Krypto jumps up and begins to bark. 

“Hush, Krypto.  You know the neighbors don’t want me here as it is.   Don’t give them cause to throw me out.”

Clark frowns, and Krypto quiets. 

“Mother?”  Clark watches as Sakura glances at him before straightening her spine. 

“I’m in here Kon.” 

When Clark sees who has joined them, he stiffens.  The boy looks back and forth between them and says, “Is now not a good time?”

“It’s always a good time for my only son.”  Kon’s lips quirk slightly before glancing at Clark quizzically. 

“This isn’t a date, is it?  Because that would be awkward.”

Clark feels himself blushing again and wants a paper bag to hide his head.  He watches Sakura grin.  “It most certainly is.  Mr. Kent was just about to take me out to dinner.”

Clark blinks and is certain he looks just as stunned as the boy.  Sakura smiles wickedly.  Clark, although embarrassed, thinks it is cute. 

“Kon, this is Mr. Kent.  Clark this is my son, Kon.”

Clark clears his throat and rises to his feet his eyes darting back and forth between the two before he extends a hand to Kon.  The boy takes it and shakes his hand.  It is a good firm handshake, but Clark can’t help but notice how Sakura beams in pride.

“If you’ll give me a moment to talk to my son Clark we can be on our way.”  Krypto whines and Sakura says, “Oh hush you.  We’ll cuddle when I come back.”  Krypto’s tail begins to wag.  Sakura leads Kon off to a room in the back, and he is ashamed to say he eavesdrops on the conversation.

:::

“You’ve lost your mind, haven’t you?  Dad-El’s death has driven you off the deep end.”  Sakura raises a brow.  “Mother!  He’s a reporter.  Do you honestly think he’s going to keep the fact that I’m here a secret?”

“Kon, I’m going to have to ask you to trust me.”  Kon looks at her dubiously. 

“I don’t want you hurt—and is this really a date?”

“Would it be that odd if it is?”

Unhesitatingly Kon says, “Yes.”  Sakura scowls.  “I know how much you loved Dad-El.  I was there.  I saw the two of you together.  Love like that…”  Kon trails off for a while before he shakes his head.  Sakura eyes soften, and she moves to hug her son. 

Yes, a love like that isn’t something you get over easy.  But this is different—if Kal were telling the truth.  They were the same man.  She just has to give it a chance. 

They both did.

“I’m alright Kon.  You don’t have to worry about me.”  
“Someone has to.”

“Krypto worries enough for all three of us.”

Kon snorts.  “I doubt that but go enjoy your date with the weird reporter, but if he hurts you in any way, I’m telling Kara.”

Sakura laughs even though that is a substantial threat.  “I can take care of myself, Kon.”

He still looks like he doesn’t believe her, but he says, “Go change.  You can’t leave on a date looking like a hobo.”

Sakura looks down at her sweatpants and t-shirt indignant.  “I don’t look that bad!”

Kon doesn’t reply which is worse than saying something. 


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've got that certain something  
> What you do to me takes my breath away  
> \--Aerosmith

When Sakura reenters the room, Clark is stunned.  Not by her beauty—although she is remarkable looking.  Instead, he’s taken off guard by her change of appearance.  Her hair is decoratively wrapped in a black scarf, showing not a trace of her light pink locks.  The black makes her look paler and her eyes a more vivid green.  She’s taller, but she’s wearing heels—bright yellow stilettos.  Sakura wears a  pair of form-fitting black slacks and an off the shoulder black top.  Yellow bracelets decorated her arms.

Clark can’t help but think of a bumble bee when he looks at her.  He doesn’t realize he’s smiling. 

“Are you ready?”  Sakura asks, and Clark nods and moves to the door to open it for her.  She blows a kiss at Krypto who only whines softly at their departure.

They walk outside, and Clark notes how Sakura walks with confidence.  There’s a sway in her hips and a gleam in her eye that he finds intriguing. 

“Am I to assume we’re walking?”  The question takes him off guard, but he nods. 

“I don’t have a car.”  Clark looks down at her shoes and ponders their practicality, but she just nods and keeps walking.  Before they get too far, he asks, “Did you want to go back and change your shoes?”

She pauses, turns, and looks at him.  Her lips twitch before she says, “I have been tortured for over a year by madmen and women.  You think shoes are going to hurt me?”

He hadn’t thought of it like that, so he shrugs.  “I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”  She smiles at him, and it’s different from before.  He doesn’t know why and something shifts uneasily within him.

“I’m fine.”  She assures, and he takes her word for it.

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere private that we can talk without tongues wagging.”

That’s all the answer he gets until they enter a place called _The Juicy Cat._ Clark is disturbed that he doesn’t know what kind of establishment it is by the name.   When they walk inside a man with a large build cries out, “Sakura!”  Sakura beams and he walks towards her and kisses her cheek.  “Where have you been pretty girl?  I have missed you.”

“Sorry, Eddie.  You know how it is.”

From the look on Eddie’s face, he did, and he didn’t look happy about it.  What had Sakura suffered through since the Dictators death?

“Well, you are always welcome here.  And who is your friend?”

“Eddie, this is Clark.  Clark this is Eddie. He owns _The Juicy Cat_ and makes some of the best catfish you’ll ever taste.”

Eddie looks proud, but he waves Sakura towards a table.  “Have a seat at your usual table.  I’ll send someone over to serve you.” 

Sakura nods and then reaches out and grabs Clark’s hand.  Eddie takes note of the action and arches a brow.  Clark senses he’s being assessed and hunches his shoulder slightly to keep up appearances.

As soon as they sit down a kid that is about sixteen years old comes to their table.  His hair is long and curly but is pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.  He has large glasses on his nose, but it somehow works for him.  He looks at Sakura and blushes.

“Welcome back, Mrs. El.  We missed you around here.”

Sakura smiles.  “I missed you guys too Robert.  Thank you for thinking of me.”

The boy’s blush deepens.  Clark hides a smile.  Someone apparently has a crush.  “Can I get you guys anything to drink?”

Clark orders a soda and Sakura asks for white wine.  As soon as the boy walks away she asks, “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

He had forgotten that he had come to talk to her.  Her personality was like a force of nature that swept him along with her.  He should be afraid of that power but he couldn't find it in himself to exhibit that type of fear. 

“I-um, the Fortress actually.”

She inclines her head slightly, and Clark feels emboldened to continue.  “I know I agreed to give you some space, but I wanted to see if you were amenable to coming with me if I need to use the Fortress.”

“Kal is not going to be amenable to you being there.  You know that, right?”

“He might if we’re together.”

Sakura raises a brow.  “Oh?”

“The thing is that he’s upset that you’ve been left unprotected.”

“I can protect myself.”

Clark nods.  “I’m not contradicting you, but he might feel better if I’m around more.  He might not object as much if we are on friendlier terms.”

Something indecipherable flickers in her eyes before she nods her head.  “Perhaps.”

“You disagree.”  Clark senses that she does but is holding her tongue. 

The boy comes back to take their order before she can reply.  Clark notes that she smiles when he asks for the fried catfish with steamed broccoli and corn on the cob.  When the boy leaves once more, Clark prompts, “You disagree?”

“I’m ambivalent at this time, but if you want to try it, then I’m agreeable.”

Clark frowns.  “I’m surprised.”

“Why?”  She delicately takes a sip of her wine before looking at him. 

“I get the impression that you don’t like me much.”

Sakura sighs.  “It’s not that I don’t like you, Clark.  I don’t know you and some of the time we’ve spent together has not been pleasant.  Not to mention that I look at you and I—I loved my husband, Clark.  You know that.”  He knows and why does that make him feel even more alone than he already did?  “I don’t know if us being amicable will make the Kal-bot more amendable but I would like to get to know you better.”

Their food is placed before them, and Sakura smiles delightedly at the aromas. “In fact, date night should become a regular thing.”  Clark who had been sipping his cola chokes.  She goes on as if she hasn’t noticed.  “I’ve decided Mr. Kent that you should be mine.  After you’ve had the chance to think about it, I’m sure you’ll agree.”

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're Beautiful  
> You're Beautiful  
> You're Beautiful  
> It's true  
> \--James Blunt

Stunned.

It is a look that Sakura has never seen on Kal’s face.  For some reason seeing it on Clark Kent’s face makes her want to laugh.  His mouth opens and closes.  He is trying to say something, but nothing is coming out.  Sakura can read lips, though and she catches a few words.

_I don’t under—_

_What?_

_You want—_

Calmly Sakura continues to eat her meal.  She doesn’t like eating cold food unless it was meant to be that way.  She waits for Clark to compose himself and finally speak.  Instead, he starts shoveling food into his mouth.  Sakura’s amusement grows.  Eye contact ceases to exist, and if the reddening of Clark’s cheekbones is any indication, he is embarrassed.  Sakura is not a good person, and that fact explained her next actions.

“Don’t you find me attractive, Clark?”  Sakura lets her eyes go soft and slightly hurt in a way that she knows drove Kal nuts when he saw it.  When Clark raises his head and meets her eyes, she hears his breath catch and is not surprised when he begins to explain hastily.

“You’re beautiful,” he blurts.  “I’ve never met a woman as captivating as you.” The words give Sakura pause.  She's heard them a million times from those lips.  She has heard them in the heat of passion.

* * *

 

 

_"You're beautiful," Kal whispers in her ear as their bodies join.  His face is hidden from view and Sakura had never felt lovelier._

* * *

 

 

She's heard them in anger.

* * *

 

_"I don't give a fuck about your goddamned forehead Sakura. You're beautiful.  Every fucking inch of you-from the top of your head to the tips of toenails is beautiful.  Show me a person who tells you different, and I'll blind them because they don't deserve fucking eyes if they can't use them properly."_

* * *

 

 

She's heard them in pain.

* * *

 

 _Sakura stares at Batman who stands in front of her husband his hand full of Kryptonite that is slowly stripping her of the man she loves.  How had he found it?  How had he known that_  this  _is what would give the world back the man he once had been and take away the one she loved?_

_"Please," Sakura begs because Kal asked her not to fight him.  And she hates Kal for that.  He promised her that he would die by no one's hand, but her own and there stood the Batman.  "Please!"  She says and comes closer, but the Batman growled warningly at her.  "You're killing my husband.  Please!  Don't you have any mercy?"_

_It's a joke because she would have none for him if the shoe were reversed._

_Kal pulls himself off the ground and sits up.  He manages to make his body lean against a nearby wall._

_"Sakura."  She hears Kal’s voice and finds herself looking into his eyes.  His whole body shudders and Sakura makes an aborted choked sound.  Her hand reaches out trying to get closer but if she gets any closer she knows she will kill Batman and Kal doesn't want that.  She has to repeat that to herself.  Kal wants him to live.  "You're so beautiful."  His words throw her off kilter.  The sheer amount of pain he looks like he's in and he's telling her she's beautiful.  He's fucking ridiculous._

 

~~_ And she loves him so much.  How can he make her watch him die?  How can he make her live without him?  Kal, Kal don’t leave me.  I love you so much, please don’t make me live without you.  If you love me even a little, let me stop this.  Kal--— _ ~~

_“You’re fucking beautiful, babe.  You'd better remember that.”_

* * *

She remembers.  She also realizes that this is the first time she's ever heard the words said with longing.  Is it possible that he...?

 

 

Sakura smiles and politely says, “Thank you.”  Sakura continued to eat silently cataloging all the ways that Clark was different from Kal. To an outsider looking in the difference between the two men was like night and day. 

However, Sakura wasn’t an outsider, and she had a feeling that if she looked the two men would still be vastly different but at their core, they would be the same.  They would always love, want, and protect her.

Had Kal known that?  Was that why he was pushing her to start a relationship with Clark?

There was only one way to find out.

* * *

 

The rest of the meal is completed in silence.  Sakura allows it because she wants to give Clark the chance to adjust to the idea of them together.  She wants him to formulate his objections and voice them so that she can shoot them down.  All opposition should be crushed immediately.  It is something she had learned from Kal. She only applies it in ways that suited her personality. 

 

“You know we can’t do this, don’t you?”  Clark says after he finally clears his plate. 

“Do what?”  She isn’t going to help him with this.  She is going to make him spell it out plainly.

He looks at her imploringly, but Sakura isn’t willing to give an inch.   She gives him a quizzical look that causes him to sigh.  “Date.” 

Sakura blinks at the note in his voice.  It sounds like yearning, but she isn’t certain.

“Why not? I’m a woman you find attractive, and you’re a man I feel the same about.  Isn’t that the start of a lot of relationships?”

“Yes, but we’re different.  We were married.”

Sakura smiles.  “No, we weren’t.  You divorced me before that was ever true.”

Sakura hears Clark’s intake of breath but feels no remorse for her words.  He lowers his voice and leans closer to her.  “You know who I am.  I’m already on thin ice with the League.  If I start dating you, they’re going to think that I’m _him._ ”

“Are they even paying attention to you right now?  When was the last time you were called in on League business?  In fact, does the League even still exist?”  Sakura is confident that Kal made sure they were disheartened enough to try that again for a while.  If they come together once more, it will be because of the Batman and Sakura is still trying to decide how much longer he is going to live.

“It exists.”  He doesn’t answer any of her other questions.  “I don’t know you.”

“I know.”

“For all, I do know you could have been an accomplice in his crimes.  I shouldn’t trust you.”

He sounds like he’s trying to convince himself of this very fact.  Sakura throws a few cards on the table. 

“Why?  Are you afraid that I’ll betray you?”

“You could.”

Sakura nods her head in agreement because he’s right.  “I could, but you’re the reporter Mr. Kent.  Why would I?”

“To bring your husband back.”

“If that were my goal, don’t you think I could have done it by now?  You’ve spent enough time in my company to make that easy.” 

She can't do it.  She doesn’t have the Kryptonite, but there is no reason for him to know that.  If he doesn’t ask questions, she won’t give answers.  He falls silent, and Sakura lets him.  Sakura pays for their meal and ignores the disparaging look Robert sends Clark’s way.  She drags Clark out despite his protests about the meal.  When they exit _The Juicy Cat,_ it’s dark.  Sakura links her arm in his and starts walking with no destination in mind. 

He’s quiet for a while, and Sakura can tell he’s glancing at her covertly, but she ignores it and snuggles closer to his side.  She makes him uneasily at ease and Sakura wonders if a part of him recalls moments like this where she strolled down the street with Kal like the baddest bitch in the West.  She almost chuckles.  She doesn’t because before she gets the chance to she hears the voices. 

_“Isn’t that the crazy bitch that was married to the psycho Superman?”_

_ “She plays innocent, but everyone knows she’s just as guilty as he was.  I can’t believe they didn’t throw her in jail.” _

_“You think she lives around here?”_

_“It would be unfortunate for her if she does.”  Male laughter reaches her ears.  “She doesn’t have anyone to protect that pretty body now.”_

Sakura has to be cautious and attuned to everything around her.  She isn’t a beloved woman.  She knows people want her gone as much as they needed Kal gone because just looking at her is a reminder of everything that he'd done. 

They expect her to slither off in shame and not walk proudly with her head up and her shoulders back.  They want her to be a doormat that they can walk all over.

She’s no one’s doormat.  If she is anything, she’s a feral dog waiting for the opportunity to attack.

 

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whatta man  
> Whatta man  
> Whatta man  
> What a mighty good man  
> (Yes he is)  
> \--Salt n Peppa

Sakura doesn’t know what Clark Kent sees on her face, but she is seconds away from raining holy hell on those who would even dare _think_ of touching her.  Before she has a chance to do anything he places a firm hand on her shoulder.  Slowly Sakura raises her head to look at him only to see him looking at her sternly.

“We can’t control what people think.  Neither can we control what they do.  But we can’t punish them for something they haven’t done yet.”

Somewhere deep in Sakura, she knows that, but she silenced that side of herself a long time ago.  She isn’t in a hurry to bring it back.

“What’s wrong with a preemptive strike?”

“A lot if you have no data that the person is a threat.”

“And making an example of someone to prevent threats in the first place?”

Clark sighs.  “You really were his wife.”  Sakura blinks at first not understanding what he is saying, but the meaning hit her quite suddenly.

“You know my history.  You know what these people did to me.  You can’t blame me for wanting to protect myself.”

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t—but that doesn’t mean there are things that you just shouldn’t do.”

Sakura’s lips twitch.  “And you really aren’t him.”

Sakura expects him to be offended, but he surprises her by grinning.  There is something distinctly adorable and innocent about that smile.

They return to her home in companionable silence. 

Clark doesn’t kiss her goodnight.  That doesn’t bother Sakura.  In fact, she thinks it endears her to him a little more.

* * *

 

Sakura awakens the next morning and wonders if she is going crazy.  She has a huge suspicion that her husband is trying to set her up with his alter ego because said alter ego is _a good man._ Sakura knew Kal wanted to be sure she was taken care of in the manner that _he_ thought proper, but to push her towards _Superman_. 

He is _such_ a goody two shoes.  For them to be together one of them would have to conform—and it wasn’t going to be her, which meant that she was going to have to corrupt Superman.  Sakura felt her lips twitch. 

Why did that sound…fun?

Sakura thinks carefully about what she wants to do next.  She doesn’t call Clark.  She doesn’t stop by his place again even if she wants to take a trip to the Fortress to talk to Kal.  She holds off because she knows that seeing Kal will only muddle the issue. 

Instead, she goes to see an old friend.

* * *

 

“What do you want?”

* * *

 

Well, maybe not a friend exactly.

* * *

 

It isn’t the warmest of greetings, but Sakura did show up unannounced.  That type of behavior with someone from Gotham is liable to get you killed. 

Although, it is plausible that if she had announced herself, Poison Ivy would have disappeared before Sakura could have hung up the phone.  Sakura is in one of those ‘damned if you do’ positions.

Sakura smiles benignly.  “I want to seduce Superman.”

Pamela Isley throws back her head and laughs as if Sakura has told the best joke she has ever heard.  “I’m sorry, but haven’t you already done that?”

Sakura tuts.  “I didn’t seduce Kal.  He chose me.”

“Really?  I distinctly remember him making the world your playground.  A man wouldn’t do such a thing if the woman didn’t have him at her feet.”  Sakura waves a hand dismissively at the statement.  “I don’t even know why you came to me.  It’s not like the evil bastard let you have any friends.  We are not bosom buddies.  So why should I help you?”

“Please, Ivy.  Don’t act like you don’t know I talked Kal into killing those people who wanted to destroy the rainforests in South America with their factories.  If I know my Kal, he probably gifted you with their heads.” Pamela’s lips twitch.  “Besides, you’re the most beautiful woman I know.  Men would fall at your feet and worship you if you had the interest.  Who better to come to for advice?”

“Sakura-El, you're ridiculous.  You’ve already seduced this man.  You know how to get under his skin.  So what is this really about?”

Sakura crosses her legs at the knee and gazes at a point beyond Pamela.  She sees nothing but the thoughts rushing through her head that paint a picture in her brain.  “The woman who stands at Superman’s side will have to be a _good_ woman.  I don’t qualify.”

Pamela tilts her head and lets her fingers caress a nearby rose. 

“You don’t _want_ to qualify which is admirable really, being one of the masses is…tedious.  Still, I know you.   You don’t want to use my methods.  You want to fit into his life and yet somehow still be yourself.    I don’t understand why that is though.  I mean a man like Kal…compared to…that.”  That being Superman in his current incarnation.

Sakura bites back a smile because she knew Pamela had a crush on her husband.  She told him that, but he hadn’t believed her. 

“It’s what Kal wanted.”

Pamela arches a brow.  “Oh?”  Sakura nods.  “Interesting.”  Pamela fell silent for a while, and the women merely enjoyed each other’s company.  Finally, Pamela said, “If you want to seduce the man then…don’t.”

Sakura blinks. 

“What?”

“A man like that—even if he is Superman is normal.”  Pamela rolls her eyes.   “For him, there will be no whirlwind romance.  No sweeping you off your feet when you know thirty seconds after meeting that he is forever.”  Sakura frowns.  “The best you’ll be able to do is to let him seduce you and make him think it was his idea.”

Sakura thinks about that in comparison to her courtship with Kal.  She didn’t immediately agree to marry Kal even if in Kal’s mind the deed was as good as done when they met.  Sakura isn’t exactly opposed to a long courtship.  She isn’t sure tying herself to _Superman_ is a genius idea.  She wants an out if she needs one.  Sakura smiles slowly.  “I’ve always liked you, Ivy.”

“Your taste is as impeccable as your deceased husband’s.”

Sakura rolls her eyes.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please don't look at me with those eyes  
> Please don't hint that you're capable of lies  
> I dread the thought of our very first kiss  
> A target that I'm probably gonna miss  
> \--Blink 182

It’s three weeks before Clark contacts her.  It’s the longest three weeks of his life.  For some reason, he thought she would show up and push her way into his life.  He isn’t sure he would have been able to stop her if she had.  Sakura-El is a lady, but she is also a force to be reckoned with.

But she doesn’t contact him, and he doesn’t understand why it bothers him as much as it does.  Even if she suggested, they date it doesn’t mean that it is something he automatically agrees with.  In fact, he doesn’t. 

But…

Clark doesn’t understand why but he likes her.  He wants to be around her.  He wants to see her smile and laugh.  He doesn’t necessarily want to date her, but he does want to see her again.  So he calls.

His lips curl into a smile of their own accord when he hears her voice.

_“Hello?”_

“Um, hi, Sakura.  It’s Clark.”

There’s a pause before he can hear the smile in her voice as she says _, “Yes, I know.  How are you?”_

“I’m good.  And you?”

_“I can’t complain.”_

She probably could, but he doesn’t think she would.  At least not to him.  She falls silent, and he follows as he tries to think of something intelligent to say since he feels like an awkward teenage boy around her. 

“I was wondering if you needed to go to the Fortress.”

Clark nearly smacks himself.  Why had he asked that?  The Man of Steel doesn’t want to go to the Fortress and see the computer program of the man she’s in love with.  He doesn’t have the desire to see them interact again.  Ever.

_“Did you?”_

Clark blinks because he hadn’t thought that through.  No, she couldn’t get to the Fortress without him, but he couldn’t go in without her.  She probably thinks he needs something. 

“No, I just thought I’d offer if you wanted.”

_“I’m sure you can come up with better date plans Clark.”_

Clark feels himself start to blush.

“I can.”

 _“Then I’ll anxiously await your next call.”_ Clark opens his mouth but then snaps it shut because he doesn’t know what to say to that.  _“Goodnight Clark.”_

“Goodnight Sakura.”

* * *

 

Her teasing call seals the deal.  He intends to date her.  It may be unwise, but…she doesn’t seem like she was the wife of an evil overlord…. _all the time_.  Maybe it was the bad influence that made her worse than what she is.  It is possible that if he spends more time with her, then she’d be willing to change her ways. 

She _had_ listened when he told her not to harm those people the night of their first date.

There has to be hope for her.  At least that’s what he tells himself.

* * *

 

Sakura is delighted to receive Clark’s call.  Patience is a virtue that Sakura doesn’t always have a lot of, but apparently, she has enough for Clark Kent. 

He calls her again a few days later to set up for their date.  He asks her to wear something comfortable, and Sakura acquiesces.  He takes her out of the city to go hiking.  Sakura can tell he thinks she will balk at the activity.  He’s nervous about it. 

But all she can think about is the forest and the Hidden Leaf Village that she grew up in.  She blames nostalgia for making her lips loose.

“I grew up in a place like this.”

Clark pauses briefly, looking at her.  “What do you mean?”

“I probably didn’t mention it to you before, and if I did I’m sorry for repeating myself, but the place I came from is called Konohagakure.  It means the Village Hidden in the Leaves.”

“What was it like?”

“Very different from your world.  In some ways simpler.”

“Do you want to go back?”

“At first I did.  But being tortured makes you want to be anywhere but where you are.”  Sakura sees Clark stiffen and realized that she probably shouldn’t speak so callously of her origins in this world since it makes him uncomfortable.  “But over time I feel like I’ve adjusted and this is as much my home now as Konoha was then.”

“What did you do there?”

It is a question that Sakura doesn’t think she should answer with a hundred percent of the truth.  So she doesn’t.  “I was a medic.”

“Like a nurse?”

“Sort of, but more like a doctor.”  Sakura is surprised to see that he looks slightly impressed.  She almost laughs at this but merely smiled.  “What, Mr. Kent?  You thought I was just another pretty face?”

“No!”  Sakura arches her brow at the denial.  “Well, you are a pretty face, I just thought—“

“You thought I was arm candy.  It’s fine Clark.  I’m not offended.   Dating is about getting to know each other, after all.”

Clark looks like he wants to say something more but she reaches for his hand and squeezes it.  “So now you know there is a brain in this head, and soon I’ll know you’re not just a goody two shoes.”

“ _Just_ a goody two shoes?  I’m not—“

“Clark, I’ve seen pictures of you recusing cats from trees.”  Sakura starts laughing when his cheeks turn red. 

“A picture is worth a thousand words and ‘a goody two shoes’ is only four of them.”

Sakura laughs delightedly, moves in front of him, and walks backward.  “Then, by all means, Clark, tell me your story.  I want to know it all.”

Clark pauses in walking and looks down at her.  Something in his eyes gives her pause. 

“Do you?” 

Sakura can tell her answer is important to him.  His body language is very open much like everything else about him.

“I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”

He reaches for her hand and draws her closer.  Sakura’s breath catches.  “Sakura, I—“  And then his phone rings.  He blinks and then takes a step back. 

“I’m sorry.  I thought I had turned it off.”  Sakura frowns as he pats his pocket searching for his phone.  He frowns when he pulls it out only to realize he has turned it off.  His face turns grim, and he grabs the pack on his back and pulls out another phone.  He automatically answers with, “This is Superman.” 

Sakura frowns and then scowls when she hears Batman’s voice demand, _“Where are you?”_


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I could've wished a thousand wishes  
> For Steve to disappear  
> What the fuck's your fucking problem?  
> Why's he always here?  
> \--Garfunkel and Oates

She would be okay if the Batman died right now.  In fact, the thought is so supremely pleasant that she questions why she hasn’t given Batman the death he deserves.  Sakura smiles kindly when Clark gives her an apologetic look.  Inwardly, she wants to scream. 

“I’m out.  What’s going on?”

 _“Get to the cave.”_ Sakura watches Clark hesitate, and she feels a brief flare of hope.

“Batman, is this important?  I’m on a date.”

Batman pauses probably noting that Clark addressed him as Batman before he says, “ _You’re with someone who knows your identity?”_

Clark looks at her, and she does her best to look innocent.  She doesn’t think she succeeds. 

“Yes.”

_“Lois?”_

Sakura, who can easily hear both ends of the conversation because she’s eavesdropping works hard not to snatch the phone out of Clark’s hands and smash it to pieces.  Is that what Batman thinks?  That Clark is just waiting on a chance with that Lane woman?  He can do so much better than _that_. She reaches for the phone.   Clark, seeing her intentions, deftly maneuvers himself away from her.  Sakura places her hands on her hips and glares at him. 

“That’s none of your business.” 

Sakura opens her mouth to confirm that, but Clark places a finger on her lips.  A touch of naughtiness slides down her spine, and she allows the digit to slide between her lips.  She watches the whole body shudder that racks through Clark and lazily sucks on his finger.  She waits patiently to see what Superman is going to do.

_“Get over here Kent.  Now.”_

The line goes dead, and Clark slowly pulls away from her.  She sees his decision on his face before he even tells her of it.   “Tell me you’re not going to let him boss you around like that.”

“He wouldn’t call unless he needed me.” Sakura resumes her glaring.  “I’m sorry, Sakura.  I’ll take you home.”

“No, thank you.  I’ll make it back on my own.”

“…do you even know where we are?”

  
He had flown her here in his arms.  But it didn’t matter.  She is no City Miss.  She knows how to take care of herself.  She can do something as simple as finding her way back home from the wilderness.

“No, but it doesn’t matter.  I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Sakura, I’m not just going to leave you here.”

“Yes, Clark, you are.”

Clark gives her a sheepish grin.

* * *

  
And then she is home. 

* * *

 

She slams the door in his face.

* * *

 

Clark sighs at the closed door before he leaves and goes to the Batcave. 

 

* * *

 

The second Superman enters the cave Batman starts with, “Tell me you weren’t with her.”  Since the ‘her’ is somewhat vague, Clark plays innocent.

“With whom?”

Batman immediately pulls up an image of him and Sakura on their first date.  Clark smiles a little because she looked adorable that night.  He wonders if he could get Batman to give him a copy of the picture.  Probably not since he was looking pretty scowly. 

“Is that why you called me all the way out here? We were together because I wanted to talk to her about the Fortress.”  It had turned into more than that, but he decides not to mention it. 

Batman stares hard at him.  “That’s not a lie, but it’s not the entire truth.”

“Batman, Bruce, I was on a date that ended badly because of you.  If this is all you wanted, then I’m leaving.”

Clark turns to leave, but Batman’s next words make him hesitate.  “She’s not a good woman.”

“You don’t even know her.”  Clark retorts before he could stop himself.  Clark can see Sakura in his mind.  Her sweet smile, her glimmering eyes.  She has a temper, yes, but that doesn’t mean that she is an evil woman.  She just had bad taste in men.  Clark doesn’t know what that said about why she is dating him now.  He doesn’t want to know.

“No, but I’ve watched her.  Did you know she is friends with Pamela Isley?  With Poison Ivy?  They met not too long ago.”

Clark fights not to grind his teeth together. 

“Well, it’s not like she’s getting much of a welcome from the superhero community.  After all, the Batman has her on his watch list.  And it’s also not like she can make many normal friends.  People are scared of her and what she represents.  She’s an outcast in a world that isn’t her own.  I know a little bit about that.”

“She is not like you. You didn’t marry a murderer and lived happily with them for _years._ If she wasn’t his accomplice in deed, you can bet she was by association.  She condoned his actions and to this day sees absolutely nothing wrong with what the Dictator did.  That should tell you something.”

“It tells me that she deserves a second chance.  And as far as women are concerned all I have to say is Cat Woman.”

“Leave her out of this.”

“Then leave Sakura out of it.  This isn’t about her. It’s about me and my choices.”

“You’re better than this Clark.  Be objective.  In just the little time you’ve spent with her she’s changed you and it doesn’t look like it’s for the better.  She doesn’t want _you_ , Clark, she wants the Dictator.  Whatever this is with her it’s probably a trap.”

Clark doesn’t bother to respond…because he doesn’t know how to.

* * *

 

“When are you going to kill the Bat?”   

Pamela, rarely one to lose her cool when her plants aren’t involved said, “You’re bloodthirsty today.  When are _you_?”  A rage so black washes over Sakura that when she regains her senses, she can tell she had Pamela is taken aback.  “I was joking Sakura-El.  I thought you were aiming for straight and narrow.”

Sakura scoffs.  “That’s setting the bar a bit high, isn’t it?”

“Well, _Superman.”_

Sakura laughs and then gets angry that she is amused. 

“Does the Bat get in the way of everything?”

“No.  He only gets in the way of all the good things.”  That is certainly true.  Sakura can still sometimes feel Kal’s body in her arms from the night that Batman killed him.

“I am calling Kara and having her take him out.”

Pamela rolls her eyes.  “Let the girl make mayhem elsewhere in the universe.  These are your problems.  You’ll only worry her.  Then she’ll destroy the Earth, and if I die because of your tantrum, I’ll kill you.”

“I wouldn’t let Kara kill you.”

Pamela spreads her arms wide gesturing around her greenhouse.

“Or my babies?”

“…or your babies.”

Pamela smiles.

“I won’t kill him for you.  But I have a friend that will keep him busy for a while if you want.”

Sakura blinks owlishly.  “Friend? I thought I was your only friend.”

Pamela laughs.  “It’s cute that you think we’re friends.”

Sakura pouts.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye.  
> \--Queen

Sakura tries her best not to use Krypto for transportation, but sometimes he insists on it.  He likes to fly and who is she to deny him the opportunity of the company?  Besides, she has developed a fondness for traveling by air, and it isn’t something she thinks she can give up.  Kara is gone, and so is Kal.  She fears going out with Kon will cause her son trouble, and she doesn’t know where things are going with Clark.  That leaves Krypto, and honestly, sometimes Sakura thinks the dog doesn’t give a fuck about people other than the House of El.

 

So, she is not particularly happy when she and Krypto are forced to land.  The area they were in is relatively deserted.  They are in a forest which is typically her favorite place to be if a fight should break out. 

She is anticipating a fight.

Before Sakura stands a tall woman with dark hair and piercing eyes.  She looks angry, and Sakura knows it has to be a member of the superhero community. 

“What do you want?”   Sakura demands, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. 

“The dog doesn’t belong to you.”

Sakura glances at Krypto out of the corner of her eye.  He seems to be waiting, and Sakura doesn’t know why and it makes her nervous.

“I think he’d disagree with you and I don’t understand why this is any of your business.  And by the way, who are you?”

“I am Wonder Woman.”

Sakura inwardly groans.  Kal had spoken of her.  The woman whose power rivaled his own.  He warned her about Wonder Woman but had said that she was stuck on Themysicira and couldn’t yet interfere with his plans.  He had said she would and to be prepared for it.  Sakura isn’t ready.

“And I am Sakura-El, but I think you knew that.”

“You have a lot of nerve keeping not only the man’s name but his dog as well.”

“If you know anything about Krypto you know he has free will.  I’m not keeping him chained to my side.  He chooses to stay here—not that it’s any of your business.”

Sakura watches her hand move to her hip where a rope lay.

“You won’t like what happens if you do that,”  Sakura warns. 

“Are you threatening me?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

Both women fall silent studying each other.  Eventually, Wonder Woman kneels and says, “Krypto, come here boy.”

Krypto, of course, doesn’t move.  Sakura can’t believe the woman is trying to steal her dog.

“You _heroes_ are something else.”  Wonder Woman glances at her but says nothing.  “First you take away my husband now you try to take my dog.  Have you no shame?”

“He’s _not_ your dog.  You have no right to him.  I’m going to take him back to his rightful owner.”

Sakura stops arguing.  The woman isn’t going to listen to anything she had to say.  Instead, she turns to leave knowing Krypto would follow.  Before she can take more than a few steps, a rope is wrapped around her stopping her from moving.  Sakura sighs, and then hears Wonder Woman scream.  The rope slackens and then falls. Sakura discards the rope and walks over to where Krypto has Wonder Woman pinned and is snarling in her face. 

“Krypto, what’s wrong with you?”  Wonder Woman cries out not wanting to hurt the dog that is seconds away from tearing her throat out.  Sakura considers letting him, thinks about Clark, then discards it.

Sakura walks until she’s standing at Wonder Woman’s head.  “Let her up Krypto.”

Krypto gives her a mutinous look and Sakura chuckles.  “I think she gets the point now.  No one is that stupid.” Krypto’s look turns dubious, and Sakura can’t stop the laughter that erupts from her.  “I want to go home Krypto. Let’s go.” 

They don’t go home.  Sakura goes to a news station and hands over the footage from Krypto’s collar showing Wonder Woman attacking her.  She makes a copy of the footage _first_ and takes _it_ to the police station. 

If she has to wage a one-woman war against every hero and heroine to get peace, she’ll do it. 

* * *

  
When Clark shows up three days later, Sakura thinks it’s because he’s seen the news.  He has on a tan turtleneck sweater and a brown suede jacket with a pair of khaki pants.  The man looks like temptation and Sakura is ready to partake. 

She’s utterly surprised when the first thing out of his mouth is, “I’m sorry.”

Sakura opens her mouth then closes it, blinks and then starts the process over again.

“I shouldn’t have left you as I did.”

Sakura sighs.  “Get in here Clark.”  She ushers him inside and drags him to the sofa.  “Look, I get that you’re Superman.  I’m not going to get in the way of you saving people.  I…have Batman issues.”

Clark chuckles.  “That’s not an unusual affliction.  I get it too from time to time.”  Sakura hears him mutter, “I have it now.”  Clark straightens up.  “He means well.”

Sakura arches a brow. 

“Maybe he does.  Maybe they _all_ do.”

“All?”

“Wonder Woman attacked me a few days ago.”

“What?  No!”

Sakura shrugs.  “Well, she introduced herself as Wonder Woman and tried to steal Krypto.  Krypto had other ideas.”

“I don’t understand.  What happened?”

Sakura turns on the television, and of course, the news story is running.  She gestures to the footage that soon has Clark enraptured. 

When they get to the part where Sakura is pressing charges, Clark turns to her.

“Are you?”

“I am.”

Sakura can tell that Clark wants to defend the woman, but he’s torn.  “Say what you’re thinking Clark.  There’s no need to hide from me.”

“She didn’t intend to hurt you.”

“I disagree.  I could tell she wanted to.  You weren’t there.  She didn’t because Krypto didn’t give her the chance to.”

“She’s a good woman.  She doesn’t deserve this.”

“And I did?”  Clark doesn’t reply.  “Every superhero in this world treats me like I’m the scum of the earth.  They think they can do anything to me, say anything to me because of who I married, because of who I loved.  Well, I’m here to say that they can’t.  I won’t allow it.  I will not be run over.  I will not be pushed around.  I will fight _everyone_ if I have to.  I will drag them into the mud with me because that’s where they belong.  Every last person on this Earth is on the same level now.    Powers or not.  And I won’t let them forget it.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm on an emotional rollercoaster  
> Lovin' you ain't nothing healthy  
> Lovin' you was never good for me  
> But I can't get off  
> \--Vivian Green

It is like Clark is seeing Sakura-El for the first time.  He realizes that he always thought of her as the wife of the man who ruled the world when that isn’t who she is.  She is the Queen of the man who ruled the world.  She _reigned_ at his side—not just stood by it. 

He doesn’t know her at all, and it makes him nervous.  Then she takes his hand in hers and squeezes it gently.  Her face is questioning, and he knows intrinsically that she’s waiting for him to leave, to walk away from her.  She doesn’t think he’ll stay at her side nor does she expect him to accept her for who she is.

He doesn’t know if she’s right and something inside him is agonizing over that. 

* * *

 

Sakura thinks that Clark takes the news about Wonder Woman as well as can be expected.  He doesn’t argue with Sakura, and she suspects it’s because he can’t come up with an argument.  Wonder Woman attacked her.  And even though she is the former wife of the Dictator, Kal always made sure she came across as peaceable.  No one knows that she could have and did kill for Kal.  There were those that suspected it, but they didn’t have any proof.

* * *

 

Sakura comes home one day to find the villainess Cheetah pinned to the ground by Krypto.  She sighs.  She knows the woman is an enemy of Wonder Woman and wonders why she didn’t expect a visit.  Cheetah grins at her.   “ _I_ didn’t try to steal your dog.”

Sakura laughs until her stomach hurts. 

* * *

 

Cheetah comes to talk. She snuck in because she didn’t think it was a good idea for Sakura to be seen with her at the moment.  Sakura thanks her for her consideration and when she leaves she makes sure no one witnesses it.

* * *

 

Superman gets a visit from Diana, and it isn’t unexpected.  He knew that she would come to him because he is the heart of the problem. 

“Kal, we must talk.”

Superman flinches at the name.  Diana is the only person who called him that before he was the Dictator and now he never wants that name directed at him again.  Every time the Man of Steel hears it, he thinks about Sakura in the arms of the Robot!Dictator looking at him like he hung the sun, moon, and stars.

_He hadn’t.  But it wouldn’t have surprised Superman if he had plans to destroy them._

Usually, he would take her to the Fortress for this discussion…but since he doesn’t have access to it and he doesn’t think grabbing Sakura would be a good idea he gestures for Diana to lead the way. 

She takes them to the Fortress.  He supposes its habit, but Clark can already tell that the situation is going nowhere good.  Superman can still only get so close to the Fortress.  Which…it’s Sakura’s Fortress and it’s okay with him now because at least he knows the reasons. 

Diana gives him an odd look when they stop quite a distance away from the Fortress.  Superman sighs.  “Why aren’t we going inside Kal?”

“This isn’t my Fortress any longer Diana.  I can’t go inside.”  Diana’s incredulous look makes him cringe inwardly, but he doesn’t let her see it.  “The Fortress now belongs to Sakura.”

“You’re on a first name basis with her?” Superman doesn’t reply.  “She’s pressing charges against me for attacking her and trying to steal Krypto.”

“I’ve heard.”

“And you have nothing to say about that?”

Superman opens his mouth to say, ‘You shouldn’t have attacked her’ but stops.  Instead, he replies, “Right now things are complicated between Sakura-El and I.  If anything seems off about her situation you should probably come to me about it first.  I’ll probably have more information than you do.”

“Then is Batman correct in his assessment?  Are you dating her?”

Superman frowns.  That didn’t make sense.  He didn’t understand why Batman would go to Wonder Woman of all people with this.  He never confirmed that he and Sakura were together in the first place. “I don’t see how that is any of your business nor do I see how it’s relevant to the situation.”

Diana squares her shoulders, and he can see she wants to fight.  She’s upset, and she wants someone to take her side.  He’s assuming Batman hadn’t.  “Krypto is your dog.  She has no right to him.”

“Whether or not any of you want to admit it or not she was my wife.  _My_ wife.”  He can’t help the possessive note that creeps into his voice.  He’s not sure he wants to.  “And we got divorced.  In that divorce, she received a lot of things.”

“So you gave her your _Fortress?_   Your dog?  I know how much they both mean to you Kal.  You can’t tell me that you’re just ok with her having them.  Something is not right with this situation.  And I am tempted to ask you if you’re losing your mind.”

“Krypto can make his own choices—and he chose her Wonder Woman.  What am I supposed to do?  Drag him away?”

Diana flinches, and Superman realizes he accidentally stepped on a sore spot.

“She’s bad news Kal.  It would be in your best interests to stay away from her.  You have only recently healed.  If people find out—“  Superman supposes Diana stepped on a landmine of her own.  It was something that he had been internally fighting.  What will happen once people realize that he’s dating Sakura?  More importantly what will happen to Sakura?  He’s an anonymous figure.  She isn’t.  If anyone found out that Sakura-El was dating Superman, then his enemies would come for her.  And if anyone found out she was dating Clark Kent, then he knew he would be outed as Superman reasonably quickly. He had to make a decision, and he had to make it soon.  He couldn’t let Sakura get hurt because of him.  And a part of him _hates_ the Dictator for so easily choosing to stay with and protect her. 

“Don’t call me Kal.  I don’t ever want to hear you call me that again.  I’m not him.”

Diana pauses and looks at his face.  He doesn’t know what she sees there, but she merely flies away without another word.

Superman runs a hand over his face realizing that could have gone a lot better. 


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's going down  
> A logical progression on the timeline  
> The separation narrowed down to a fine line  
> \--X-Ecutioners

Sakura has no idea where she and Clark are…but it looks like a cornfield.  The acres of land surrounding them coupled with the lush greenery of the plants make Sakura’s lips quirk.  Clark is weird. 

He reaches for her hand and tugs her along as they walk through the fields. 

“You mentioned before that you grew up in an area full of trees.  Ko…?”

Sakura smiles.  “You can call it the Hidden Leaf Village.”

Clark nods in reply.  “I grew up here in Kansas.  Did he ever…?”

Sakura shakes her head.  Kal had only told her he was born on a planet called Krypton and was sent to Earth because his homeworld was dying.  Any further probing on the matter left her irritated and answerless.  Eventually, she stopped asking, but she never stopped wondering.

“He didn’t.  To hear Kal tell it, he was born a full grown man who didn’t need anybody.”

Clark’s brows shoot up, and then he laughs.  “Sounds like he was ashamed of his humble roots.”  Sakura shrugs not knowing the answer.  “My parents were farmers.  They found me in a spaceship here.”

Sakura’s eyes widen, and panic floods her veins.  She hadn’t known.  Kal wouldn’t have left his parents to fend for themselves in this terrible world.  He couldn’t have.  He would have told her about them so that she could take care of them after his passing.  Sakura pauses.   She has a thought, and for the first time, she thinks of Kal and Clark as being the same person.  It frightens her, but she knows that as long as Kal is Clark and Clark is Kal that his parents would be safe.  Kal was big on family.  Somehow she knows Clark is too.  “Parents?”  
 

Clark’s smile dims.  “They died.”  Sakura squeezes his hand tightly in comfort. “But they took me in, raised me as their child, and taught me the difference between right and wrong.  I don’t think I ever would have become Superman if not for their guidance.  Being Clark Kent, their son is very important to me Sakura.  It’s a reminder of where I come as well as who I want to be.”

Sakura slowly withdraws her hand from his.  “Is that someone you can be with me?”

“I don’t know.  Can I?”  Sakura doesn’t know the answer to that question.  She’s been wondering about it almost since the beginning.    “You’re hiding things from me.”

Sakura opens her mouth to lie but thinks better of it.  “Everyone has secrets, Clark.  Even you.”

Clark studies her as if weighing something in his mind.  She sees the decision reflected in his eyes as he says slowly, “I saw you at the Fortress.  Only someone with super strength can get inside—and you did so easily.”

Sakura groans knowing she had been careless, but she had been so eager to get inside—and then Kal.  “I’ve told you before that I can take care of myself.”

“But you never said why.”

“Do I need a reason?  I am a capable woman who can adapt to different circumstances.  I thought you understood that.”

Clark shakes his head.  “There are capable women, and there are capable women with extraordinary abilities.  I want to know which one you are.  You don’t have to tell me anything other than that.”

Sakura is skeptical.  She doesn’t want to give Clark any information about her abilities.  The situation with Wonder Woman is ongoing, and she wants that situation to be simple and straightforward.  She doesn’t want anyone getting distracted by what she can do.  And why did she have to say it anyway? He already knew.

“Are you sure you’re ready for the answer to that Clark?”

He shrugs his shoulders.  “I asked.”

Sakura nods.  “You did.  That doesn’t mean you won’t regret hearing the answer later.  Are you sure you want it?”

“I need to know who you are, Sakura.  Why do you hide from me?”

Because he’s so different from Kal.  Kal was a roll with the punches kind of guy.  Clark…she isn’t sure about.

“Because I’m afraid you’re not ready to see everything that I am.  I think you’ll know and then you’ll run.”

“You think it, but you don’t know it.  Why won’t you give me a chance?”

Sakura knows it’s a bad idea.  He isn’t ready.  If she reveals everything to him too soon, she knows he’ll betray her.  But his eyes are so blue and so earnest that she wants to believe.  So Sakura takes a chance.  A chance that she once took before.  She decides to trust and see where it leads her. 

It is a decision she never regretted with Kal who wanted her to give Clark a chance.  So she takes a deep breath and beckons Clark closer.

“Come at me then.”  Clark stares at her shock prominent on his features.  Sakura laughs.  “Don’t look so surprised.  You wanted to know if I am a capable woman with extraordinary abilities then I’ll show you.”

“…but I could hurt you.”

“And you wanted to know if I could hurt you in turn.  So…let’s see.”

Clark suddenly looks like he regrets his question.  Sakura smiles wickedly at him. 

:::

He doesn’t do as Sakura requests.  In fact, he seems stubbornly determined to let the whole subject drop. Sakura rejects that idea because she knows it is a subject that will only come up again later. 

Sakura attacks.

She has the satisfaction of hearing Clark gasp seconds before he blocks her first punch. 

She doesn’t go easy on him…and eventually, he stops pulling his punches—as much.

:::

They lay on the ground after Sakura finished a jutsu she learned from Yamato to repair the damage they had done.  She’s panting slightly, and the thrill of a good workout makes Sakura feel bubbly inside.  She doesn’t show him everything she can do.  She showcases her strength and her ability to heal.  She doesn’t use clones or chakra scalpels or anything else because while she wants to trust him, she has to protect herself

Sakura folds her arms across her chest.  “People here call it super strength.  It’s not that Clark.  It’s different.”

“How?” 

“I call it chakra enhanced strength.”

Clark’s brow furrows.  “Enhanced?  Is that…are you using drugs?”

Sakura starts laughing. She rolls on her side closer to Clark and props her arm on her elbow, looking down at his face.  His cheeks are flushed, and Sakura doesn’t know why.    She raises a hand and trails it over his jawline. 

“No Clark.  I think popular opinion is that I’m more likely to be the plug than the junkie.”

She doesn’t mention that she and Kal used to be the major distributors. She also does mention how well it paid.

“Then how?”

“It’s part of what I can do.  In my world, my abilities are not unusual—especially given who I trained under.  I heal, I protect, and I defend.”

“Did he know?”

“At first?  No.  I didn’t tell him...but eventually he figured it out.”

“But why didn’t you tell him?”

“I didn’t have to.  Kal took great pleasure in protecting me, so I let him.  I liked it when he did.  It made me feel loved.”

Clark didn’t reply immediately but eventually said, “So you’re strong.”

Sakura is amused by the way he summarizes their battle.  “I can take a hit,”  Sakura confirms.

“…have you considered being a heroine?”

Sakura freezes.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone knows I'm in  
> Over my head  
> Over my head  
> With eight seconds left in overtime  
> She's on your mind  
> \--The Fray

Sakura appears to be tense to Clark but after a few seconds her shoulders relax and she levels a smile at him that makes heat rush to his cheeks.  If he were a betting man, he’d say her eyelashes grew thicker as she blinks at him and her cheeks turn a fetching rosy color.  He’d also bet that his heart is seconds away from leaping out of his chest.

“That’s a weighty question, Clark.  I’ll answer it if in payment you answer two of mine.”

Clark arches a brow.  “That hardly seems fair.”

She leans close to him, and he can feel her hair brushing his face.  The scent of everything he’s ever wanted drifts to his nose.   “What about life is fair?”

It seems pretty fair to Clark that she is with him at that very second.  So he agrees to her deal.  He should have known by the first question that the second would be a doozy. 

“Why haven’t you told anyone about seeing my son?”

Clark forces himself not to swallow audibly.  Kon-El still at large.  The boy looks so much like him at that age.  What is he?  Sixteen?  Seventeen?  Clark thinks about all the dumb things he did at that age and just how impressionable he had been.  What if he had landed in the influence of someone like the Dictator?  What would he have become?

The boy had never been brought to trial for the crimes he committed while the Dictator ruled.  The police, the government-everyone wants him.  Clark acts like he hasn’t seen him.

Clark clears his throat and shifts uncomfortably.  When he sees fear begin to inch into Sakura’s eyes, he knows that he’s taken too long to speak.  “No, Sakura I—“  Her brow furrows, and he reaches a hand out to smooth out the skin.  She looks at him, and he can see her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.  “I know I should have turned him in…but since I came back, he hasn’t harmed anyone has he?”

Sakura shakes her head.  Clark knows she’s telling the truth because he’s been keeping an eye on the boy. 

“Everyone deserves a chance Sakura.  I know about the Cadmus project.  I know that the Dictator found him, took him, and used—“

“He never _used_ Kon.  He’s our son.  We raised him.  He’s a good boy.”

Clark pauses and marvels once again at just how much Sakura had loved his evil counterpart.  The inexplicable trust she put in the man is astounding. 

“I know.   So, I won’t be the one who turns Kon in—unless he does something to deserve it.”

Clark can hardly finish his sentence before he has an armful of Sakura.  She places kisses all over his cheeks and Clark can feel himself flush. 

When she finally stops sadness replaces her joy.

“I grew up in a place where violence was expected, Clark.  But one of my close companions, my teammates dreamed of peace.  He vowed to one day be the leader of our people and to work hard to pursue that goal.”  Sakura sighs.  “He achieved his goal of becoming our Hokage, our leader.  But peace…it wasn’t as easy.  Still, he accomplished it, and the Village Hidden in the Leaves was safe for our people.  I believed in him.  I worked at his side for several years.”  Sakura pauses.  “Peace never lasts.  If it had, I wouldn’t be here now.  If it had, I wouldn’t have been tortured because I was different.  People don’t want to understand what true peace means.”  Her face hardens.  “I have no love for these people, Clark.  I can’t even fathom a reason why I would sacrifice myself for them. So…heroine?  No, Clark.  That’s not me.”

“I don’t believe that.  If you had no love for this society, then you never would have claimed Kon as your son.  Are you telling me that if he needs protecting, then you wouldn’t?”

“That’s different.”

“It’s not.” Sakura opens her mouth to argue, but Clark begs, “Hear me out.”  Sakura closes her mouth and nods her head waiting for him to speak.  “That path starts with wanting to save one person, and eventually it grows.  If your son grows to love someone, to have friends and people important to him are you honestly going to tell me you wouldn’t want to keep them safe to keep him happy?”

Sakura purses her lips, and he wants to kiss them but doesn’t. 

:::

Sakura doesn’t answer his last question but instead turns the tables on him.  “What about you Clark?  Have you ever considered villainy?” 

Sakura watches his eyes go wide, and he starts to shake his head but Sakura counters.  “No. Now it’s your time to hear me out.  The world is a mad place.  Every time you turn on the television or open a newspaper all you hear about is murder and violence,  death and pain, but you have the power to do something about it.  You have it within you to take the chaos and make it into order.  Yes, people will fear you and what you will do, but they won’t have to fear each other because of the threat your power carries.  I’m not asking if you want to be a villain that mindlessly kills.  I’m asking have you ever thought of being the man who does what no one else is brave enough to do and be vilified for it.”

:::

He’s thought about it, but he can’t say that because it makes him feel like a bad person.  It’s the reason he trusts Batman with Kryptonite to take him down if he goes too far.  It’s why he is grateful to Batman because he knows he will always do what needs to be done.

Sakura leans down and kisses his lips softly.  He reaches out and grabs her hand and holds it firmly. 

“You have to promise me Sakura that you won’t—“

“Take over the world?”  Clark nods.  “Clark, sweetie, if that were on my agenda I would have done it already.”  Clark is seconds away from letting out a sigh of relief when Sakura says, “I’m more of an organized crime type of woman.”  At that Clark wonders.  He never hears Sakura talking about a job.  He doesn’t know where she’s getting her money from.  Was she a part of some secret criminal organization and he hadn’t known?

“Sakura tell me you aren’t—“

“I’m not.”  She responds promptly, and Clark doesn’t know whether or not to believe her.  Her face screams innocent, but there’s something decidedly shifty about Sakura. 

Her smile widens, and it makes Clark’s heart race.  He doesn’t know if it’s in a good or a bad way.

He never knows with Sakura.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman?  
> If I'm alive and well will you be there holding my hand?  
> I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might  
> Kryptonite  
> \--Three Doors Down

They’ve been dating for almost two months when Superman gets called to the Hall of Justice.  The Watchtower had been destroyed during the Dictator’s reign.  He doesn’t know the details of that.  No one ever wants to talk about it.  He doesn’t push.  If necessary, he’ll ask Sakura what she knows. 

Still, it’s the first time they’ve requested his presence since his return, and he’s a bit nervous about it.  Something big must be occurring if they’re asking for him.

Several members of the League are sitting at a roundtable.  He sees Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Green Arrow, the Martian Manhunter, and the Flash all seated and waiting for him.  He pauses wondering if he’s late.  Glancing at the clock that hung on the wall he realizes that he’s ten minutes early and something cold settles in his stomach.  Carefully, he keeps his face blank and takes a seat in the chair that Batman indicated at his left side. 

As he sits, quietly he remembers the past, the adventures he had with the people who surround him.  He remembers the laughter, the camaraderie, and the affection.  It all had been replaced with mostly wariness and some fear.

Aquaman breaks the silence, “We thought it was time, in light of past events, to come together again.  Founding members and new members.”  Superman watches as Aquaman glances at Batman whose face remains impassive. “There are things we need to discuss starting with Wonder Woman’s upcoming trial.”

Superman stiffens as he feels a few eyes shift to him. 

“What do we know about the Dictator’s wife?”

Superman feels every person’s eyes on him but he kept his gaze straight ahead and his lips shut.

“Her name is Sakura Haruno.”  Green Arrow said, and Superman feels his eye twitch.

“Sakura-El,”  Batman corrects.  “She kept her married name.”

The Flash’s brow furrows quizzically.  “Why?”

Before the Man of Steel thinks it through, he answers the question, “Because she loved her husband.”

“We’ve been told that Krypto and the Fortress belong to her now.  Is that true?”  Aquaman questions.  He doesn’t sound accusatory.  Maybe that’s why he stays calm.

“It’s true.”  Superman offers.

“She stole it, right?  You didn’t give it to her.”  Green Lantern deduces.

“No.  She didn’t steal it.  She got it in the divorce along with Krypto.”

“Which brings us to Wonder Woman’s situation.  Is there any chance that Sakura-El framed her?”

Superman clenches his jaw to keep from saying something unfavorable.  He had to be objectionable because he feared he couldn’t be in Sakura’s case.  Thankfully, before anyone answered the question the subject was changed. 

“What I don’t understand is how that occurred.” Wonder Woman interjects.  “That Fortress is all you have left of your homeworld.  Why would you give it to her?”

The Man of Steel has no intention of answering that question and telling them the truth.  Instead,  Superman puts a boyish smile on his face that he doesn’t feel before glancing around at the members of the Justice League.

“I’m starting to think that you guys only called me here to question me about  Sakura-El.” 

He can tell just by the looks on their faces that his assessment is very accurate.  He makes a decision then.  They called him in to talk about Sakura then he would.  He wouldn’t say he knows Sakura quite as well as the Dictator did.  He does know that Sakura has a soft spot that can be reached if you proceed correctly.

“If you want my advice on the situation maybe Wonder Woman should just go and apologize.”  A murmur runs through the room at his pronouncement.  Superman turns his head and glances at Batman whose face was impassive as always.  

“Diana,”  Superman begins, “if you can tell me honestly that you don’t see the wrong in what you’ve done to Sakura-El then fine.  We can drop this whole conversation and pretend as if I’ve never said a word.  _I’ll_ never bring it up again.  But _if_ you can see where the situation with Sakura-El went wrong then _apologize,_ and maybe she’ll forgive you.  Then we won’t have to sit here and come up with a plan to get you off for a crime you committed.”

Superman sees the Flash flinch.  He doesn’t feel bad for not mincing words.  Diana was the type to appreciate honesty if her lasso was anything to go by.

“I do not believe that I am wrong.”

Superman sees Batman frown.  “She has no right to anything that belongs to you.  And knowing you will sit there while she takes what belongs to you shows me just how far you have fallen.”

Rage washes over Superman, and he slams his fist on the table breaking it into pieces and roars, “She’s my goddamned wife, Diana!”

The important part is not that the table lay at their feet but the expression on the faces of each member of the League.  They were looking at him as if he were deranged. 

What has he just done?

“No.  She isn’t.”  Diana hisses.

Aquaman speaks trying to cut in before the two came to blows, “Which brings us to the second reason for this meeting.  Superman, do you honestly think it is wise for you to date the Dictator’s wife?”

“What I do in my spare time in none of the League’s business.”  Diana, of course, speaks up.

“ _It is_ when she is the woman who condoned the acts of the Dictator Kal-El.  _It is_ when you let her have access to alien technology that belongs to you and your family.  _It is_ when we know that her influence on you is not a good one.

“You don’t even know her Diana.”

“I know enough.”

“She’s not a criminal.”

“That we know of.”

“You can’t go around basing everything on supposition!”

“You mean like you do…with Luthor.”

That’s it.  He’s done.  Superman rises to his feet and looks around at every member of the League.

“This is why, if she is a criminal then this why.  How many of you have given her a chance?  How many of you have talked to her without violence involved?

Who does she have?  She is a stranger, an alien in a world that is not her own, and the only people that embrace her is the criminal element.  So what is she supposed to do?  Oh.  Wait.  I know.  What she _has_ been doing.  Locking herself away from the world so people won’t hurt her.  But wait!  She _will_ have to go out into the world _sometimes_ and when she does what happens?   The heroes attack her!  Over a dog that _can make its own choices_.  So who?  Tell me, who is the actual villain in this situation?”

With that Superman turns on his heel and pauses.

He doesn’t turn to look at any of them because he didn’t want to see their faces.

“I’ve done my part for the League, and I can’t say that I haven’t appreciated all the help and the support I’ve received over the years.  I’ve worked tirelessly by your sides to keep this world safe—and yet you call me here as if I would ever willingly do something to hurt all of you.  I think about that, and then I think about Sakura and how she feels about the superhero community, and I’m ashamed to say that I understand.  I don’t support it, but I understand.” 


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything you say to me  
> Takes me one step closer to the edge  
> And I'm about to break  
> \--Linkin Park

Seconds after Superman left the building Batman rose to his feet with every intention of exiting the premises.

“Wait, Batman.”  Aquaman starts.  “Don’t go.  We need to figure out—“

“We’re losing him.”  Batman interrupts.  “And this time if we lose him we’re not getting him back.”

Flash quick to pick up on what he was implying said, “You can’t possibly know that Bats.”

“Do you know why we aren’t all dead?”  Batman looks at all the members of the League some of which seem affronted at the question.  “It’s because the Dictator asked his wife before the last of the Kryptonite left his system he asked her not to kill me—and by extension none of you.”  Batman ignores the stunned looks on their faces and continues.  “The implication is that she could if she wanted to.  And I know the look in the eyes of a person that wants to see me dead.  I’m sure many of you do too.  The Dictator’s wife wants me dead.

We all know that the Dictator had plans to destroy this planet.  He had the government convinced they could bribe him into not doing so.  I’m almost sure that he didn’t think they could do it.  But suddenly…there was no longer a plot to destroy the world.  We were all there.  We know it that there _was_ one.”

The Martian Manhunter leans forward, “You believe the government managed to bribe the Dictator.”

“Yes.”

The Martian continues, “You believe _she_ was the bribe.”

“They were married only a few months after that time, and I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Green Lantern spread his hands irritably, “So?  What?  You think she convinced him not to destroy the world?  Are you saying she’s one of the good guys, er ladies?”

“No.  I’m saying he didn’t destroy the world _for her_.  Instead, he _gave it_ to her.  Without her, the Dictator had nothing on his agenda but mindless destruction.”

“And with her?”  Wonder Woman questions.

“He was the gun, and she was its wielder.”

Flash shakes his head.  “I don’t understand what that has to do with Superman.  He’s not the Dictator.”

“He _is_ the Dictator.  That Kryptonite brought to life Superman’s darkest thoughts and deepest desires and made him not care about anything.  He’s Superman because he controls that weakness. 

When he was a Dictator, he retained a piece of Superman, and with that retention, he kept his ability to love.” 

Batman saw Green Lantern’s face pale.  “So no matter what he’s chosen her, and he doesn’t even know it.”

“He doesn’t.”

Aquaman said, “So what does that mean?”

“It means,”  Batman explains with exaggeration patience, “That the Dictator’s wife has Superman in her grasp and that trying to drive a wedge in between them is only going to make it easier for her to hold on.”

“So you expect us to welcome her with open arms?”  Diana asks derisively.

“No.  I expect us not to antagonize her and let her expose who she is to him.  Hopefully, he’ll see the light on his own.”

“And if he doesn’t?”  Aquaman questions.

“Then, if necessary,…there’s always Kryptonite.”  Batman starts walking again but pauses right before he exits.  “You should take Superman’s advice, Wonder Woman, and apologize.”

“Would you?”  Diana counters.

“No.  I wouldn’t.  Then again…I would never have attacked her in the first place.”  And with that Batman left the team behind.

* * *

 

_Meanwhile:_

“I have to admit; I was surprised to hear from you, Selina.”

“I don’t know why.  Us anti-hero type should stick together.”

Sakura arches a brow.  “Whenever it’s profitable?” 

Selina smiles at her and spreads her hands.  “Of course.”

“You know I don’t lead this life anymore.  Kal is dead.”

“The King is dead…so long live the Queen.”

Sakura bit down on a burst of anger that flooded her veins.  She ran a hand over her face trying to get her temper in check.  She was almost certain Selina hadn’t meant to offend her with the death of Kal.

Selina raised her hands, “No harm meant.”

“I know.  It’s just difficult.”

“Word on the street is that it’s getting easier.”

Sakura’s brow furrowed.  “What do you mean?”

Selina slowly reached across the table telegraphing her moves to Sakura.  She reached for Sakura’s hand and turned it palm up tapping the inside.  “The word is, Superman is right here.  And a lot of people are happy about that—myself included.”

Sakura chuckles.  “Why would you be interested in my love life Selina?”

Selina shrugs, “Makes a lady hope that if the Man of Steel can accept you as you are then maybe the Dark Knight can accept me.”

Sakura’s eyes go cold.  “You’re no stranger to how I feel about Batman.”

“You want him dead.”  Selina shrugs.  “Sometimes I do too.  He has that type of personality.”

Before Sakura can stop herself, she starts laughing.  “How did you find out about Superman and me?”

“The Batman knows.”

Sakura nods because the answer makes sense now. 

“And you’re hoping for what?  Some unity between heroes and villains?”

“Don’t tell me you can’t see it?”  Sakura could, but she wasn’t about to tell Selina that.  “This thing with Wonder Woman—you’re going to win.”

Sakura laughs.  “Not if people keep coming to me and asking me to perform illegal acts.  They’ll catch me, throw me in jail, and then throw out the case against Wonder Woman.  That is something I can’t have.”

Selina grins.  “No one knows exactly what you did for the Dictator.  But we all know you did something.  You can’t tell me that you’re content with this boring run of the mill life you’re leading.”

 “That’s neither here nor there.  There’s a game to be played, and I intend to win it.”

“Shall I pass the word along then?  Sakura-El is fighting for villain rights?”

Sakura shakes her head amused.  “It’s nothing quite as serious as that.”

“But it _is_.  You don’t see how important a movement like this is to people like me, the Red Hood, and Captain Cold.  But I do.  So I’ll get to the point of this meeting.”

“The real point?”  Sakura said arching a brow.

“Yes.”  Selina Kyle leaned forward and said, “You have my loyalty.  Anything you need me to do, I’ll do it.”

“And if I said I need you to stop committing crimes?”

Sakura laughed at the aghast look on Selina’s face.  “I’d ask you to let me get one big score first.”

“And then?”

“And then I’d stop.”

Sakura mulled over Selina’s proposal.  “I’d want eyes and ears in both communities.”

“I can arrange that.”

“You could, but who, exactly, would you trust?”

Selina gave Sakura a shrewd look.  “That’s the glory of being a middle woman.  I’d trust no one—except you.”

“I accept your deal then, Selina.  Do what you think is best for now—but don’t get caught.”

“And Superman?  If he sees us together?”

“I won’t lie to him.  You’re a friend.  Aren’t you?”

“Oh, I can be your very best friend, if you want me to.”


End file.
